When Jon M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians released in 2018 it was one of the most charming and refreshing romantic comedies to grace the silver screen in a very long time, in large part thanks to its fantastic cast and thematically rich characters. Now, reported exclusively by Deadline, there is a spinoff in the works based around characters Astrid Young Teo and Charlie Wu, played by Gemma Chan and Harry Shum Jr. in the original film.
The Emmy nominated Barry producer and writer Jason Kim will be penning the screenplay for the spinoff. The project is in early development, but Kim gave Warner Brothers the “dynamite pitch” for this new romantic tale and the studio loved it. Chu, Color Force’s Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and SK Global’s John Penotti will be producing the project. It is important to note that this spinoff is separate from the upcoming Crazy Rich Asians sequel which is still in development.
However, both the spinoff and sequel will be tied to Kevin Kwan’s second book in the series Crazy Rich Girlfriend. That book covered Astrid and Charlie’s relationship while also continuing Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick’s (Henry Golding) romance as they go on a trip to Shanghai to find Rachel’s birth father. In the books, Astrid’s first love was Charlie, and they were engaged before Astrid’s parents broke it off. In the first film Astrid finds out that her husband is cheating on her, and she reconnects with Charlie briefly at her cousin Nick’s engagement party during the mid-credit scene.
The first Crazy Rich Asians was a major hit at the box office making $238.5 million worldwide, and it was the first Hollywood film since 1993s The Joy Luck Club to have an all-Westernized Asian ensemble. On top of that, it was beloved by both critics and fans alike. There is no word yet if Chan or Shum Jr. would reprise their roles for this spin off, but one can safely assume they will.
Chan especially gave one of the stand-out performances of the first film and, besides the main romance, was arguably the most compelling emotional thread of the entire story. Since the film’s release in 2018, Chan’s career has blossomed as she has starred in major Hollywood films like Raya and the Last Dragon, Captain Marvel, and Eternals. Chan will next be seen in the Olivia Wilde thriller Don’t Worry Darling which is another WB production that releases in September.
It is definitely going to be exciting to see how this spinoff will differentiate itself from the main series given that it is based on the same book the sequel is taking inspiration from. Also, since Charlie had such a small role in the first movie, it will just be great to see more of that romance explored. There is so much talent behind this franchise and spinoff. If Chan is set to reprise her role that only adds to this spinoff’s value. We will have to wait and see on that front.
There is currently no release date or window for either the Crazy Rich Asiansi sequel or the planned spin-off.