The mega hit Asian-American rom-com is getting two more movies, but the popularity of the stars means filming won’t begin until 2020.
Crazy Rich Asians, the groundbreaking romantic comedy based on Kevin Kwan’s novel of the same name, was one of 2018’s most pleasant surprises for a number of reasons. And after making close to $238 million worldwide, and getting not one but two Golden Globes nods (Best Motion Picture Comedy and Best Motion Picture Comedy Actress for leading lady Constance Wu) this cult favorite has no plans to go anywhere.
In fact, Crazy Rich Asians already has two sequels slated for the future. Based on Kwan’s follow-up novels, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, the films are already highly anticipated by critics and fans alike.
But unfortunately, there’s a bit of a wait.
According to Deadline, Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu is planning on a 2020 shoot, meaning filming for the sequels won’t even start for over a year. The good news is that the two sequels will be filmed back to back, meaning that after the initial wait, we’ll get both movies pretty quickly one right after another.
Film executive Nina Jacobson commented on the wait in Deadline, acknowledging that by shooting both sequels together, the studio will “make it up to on the back end.”
But after the massive success of the first film, why the wait?
One major contributing factor is talent availability. The success of Crazy Rich Asians has put a lot of attention on its stars, who are now in high demand, especially with the Golden Globes nominations. As the first Hollywood film in decades to feature an all Asian cast, Crazy Rich Asians and its star-studded cast are hot commodities as Hollywood (finally) furthers diverse projects.
Constance Wu made headlines with her Golden Globe nomination, as the first Asian woman to be nominated since 1974, when Yvonne Elliman landed a nomination for her role in Jesus Christ: Superstar. No wonder studios want Wu, who apparently even rejected a spot in the Star Wars franchise, saying a commitment like that “feel like it’s golden shackles.”
So getting Wu and her Crazy Rich Asians costars (including Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Sonoya Mizuno, Awkwafina, and Michelle Yeoh) all together again will take some effort. That’s a major reason for the sequels delay.
But it’s not just stars that are causing the holdup. Director Jon Chu is currently working on the feature film adaptation of Hamilton creator Lin Manuel-Miranda’s musical, In the Heights. And until that’s finished, Chu won’t start on the Crazy Rich Asians sequels.
And so, we will wait. But with two sequels to look forward to, it will almost certainly be worth it.