When “Crazy Rich Asians” premiered in theaters in 2018, it created a significant impact in Hollywood. The movie grossed nearly $240 million from a modest $30 million budget, achieving notable box office success. It’s one of the rare Hollywood films that prominently features a predominantly Asian cast with Asian lead characters. Over time, it has gained a cult following and is often known as a must-watch film during flights.

Adapted from Kevin Kwan’s book of the same title, “Crazy Rich Asians” narrates the story of Rachel Chu (played by Constance Wu), an economics professor who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend, Nick Young (portrayed by Henry Golding), for his best friend’s wedding. Once there, Rachel learns that the Nick she knows is different from the Nick expected by others, as he is heir to a substantial real estate fortune. Rachel finds herself unaccepted by Nick’s mother, Eleanor (played by Michelle Yeoh), leading her to doubt her role in Nick’s life and the future of their relationship.

The book is the first in a trilogy, offering ample material for more film adaptations. However, a sequel to “Crazy Rich Asians” has not yet been produced. Although there have been delays in its development, the likelihood of “Crazy Rich Asians 2” happening remains promising. It just might take some time before it comes to fruition.

A sequel film to “Crazy Rich Asians” has been in the works since the first debuted. First announced in August 2018, a variety of production issues have impeded the sequel. While the original thought, according to producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, was to film two sequels following the other two books of the series, “China Rich Girlfriend” and “Rich People Problems,” back to back in 2020, that isn’t what ended up happening due to shifts with the creative team.

There were pay disputes with the original writers of the first adaptation, Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim. There was a significant pay gap in what they were each offered to come back and write the sequels, with Chiarelli reportedly being offered between $800,000 and $1 million while Lim was only offered $110,000, in a report by The Hollywood Reporter. This caused Lim to step away from the project at the time, though it wouldn’t be the last time she was involved with the “Crazy Rich Asians” universe. The situation furthered conversations about the pay gap between male and female professionals in the industry, especially as Warner Bros brought additional offers to the table, which were declined by Lim.

With director John Chu in the spotlight with the record-breaking “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good” films, he’s reinforced that “Crazy Rich Asians 2” is on the way, but only if the story is worth it, showing the changes with the creative team aren’t the only reasons it hasn’t happened yet. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in November 2024, Chu reinforced that making another “Crazy Rich Asians” project isn’t necessarily as simple as adapting “China Rich Girlfriend,” and that’s why fans are still waiting.

“The first movie, even though people think, ‘It’s like the book, so the second book should fit in,’ it’s actually not,” the director said. “There’s a lot of shifting, architecturally, and so it’s not a straight translation.” The ending of the adaptation shows amends between Nick and his mother that come about differently in the second book of the series. There are also a variety of plots in the second book that might not work as well with the tone set by the first film. “We’ve done some versions and it’s never quite hit.”

“I always promised the cast, I will not bring them back unless we get a script that’s better and has as much urgency as the first movie,” Chu continued. “The bar is high for all of us to come back to do that, so I’m not going to put the audience through that until we’re ready to do it.” He maintains that it is still in the works, but will only happen if the script works in the way it needs to.

“Crazy Rich Asians 2” could follow aspects of the second book of the series, “China Rich Girlfriend.” In the sequel, Nick isn’t speaking with his mother or grandmother following the events of “Crazy Rich Asians,” which is a different from the film’s ending. Because part of how they reconcile is included in the first movie, it presents the option for focus on other stories included in the book. 

There is the plot of Rachel trying to figure out who her biological father is after the revelation that the person her mother married was not her father. A bit more mystery appears in the second book, with Rachel being poisoned at one point as a warning to not return to China as people continue to be unhappy with her and Nick’s relationship. If the next film were to include this storyline, it could firmly place it in the realm of something like “A Simple Favor,” with a mystery set against a more light-hearted tone, but there’s also the possibility it’s not included entirely.

In the first adaptation, a mid-credits scene shows Astrid, played by Gemma Chan, locking eyes with someone next to her at a refreshments table. This individual is Charlie (Henry Shum Jr.), her ex-fiancé. Throughout the film, we see the deterioration of Astrid’s marriage, and introducing Charlie presents the opportunity to follow her love story in the sequel. While “China Rich Girlfriend” features her reconnecting with her husband, Charlie is still involved in that story, and it’s a strong plot to use in the second adaptation.

Should “Crazy Rich Asians 2” follow Astrid and Charlie’s story in a similar fashion to the second book, it’s likely Gemma Chan and Harry Shum Jr. will return to reprise their roles. It’s also likely that Henry Golding and Constance Wu will return as Nick and Rachel. Other cast members that could return include Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor and Lisa Lu as Nick’s grandmother, Shang Su Yi. If Rachel tries to find her biological father, Tan Kheng Hua could return as Rachel’s mother, Kerry. With confirmation from John Chu that he would only bring them back if the script would make a better movie that the first, that feels like a confirmation that members of the original cast will return in some capacity.

When asked, cast members Golding and Shum Jr. have reaffirmed John Chu’s words that the team is taking their time with the sequel and have remained tight-lipped on both the plot and if they are returning for it. In an interview with Deadline for its “Scene 2 Seen” podcast in 2023, Shum Jr. did confirm he had “had lunch with one of the producers” for the sequel recently, but couldn’t say anything else. Based on the knowledge that Golding and Chan have also met with writer Adele Lim regarding a possible TV adaptation, it sounds like the cast members are being kept in the loop, even if there aren’t official announcements yet.

In February 2025, Warner Bros. confirmed that a TV series based on “Crazy Rich Asians” was in development for its streaming service, HBO Max. Author of the book Kevin Kwan, director John Chu, and co-writer of the first film Adele Lim are involved as executive producers, with Lim also serving as the showrunner and writer, marking her return to the franchise. It isn’t clear who the series will follow, when it will be set, or what fans of “Crazy Rich Asians” can expect, especially with a sequel film still in the cards.

While promoting “Another Simple Favor” in April 2025, Henry Golding shared with “The Today Show” that things are in motion for the TV adaptation. He said that he and Gemma Chan had met with Lim about the series, and he and Awkwafina, who portrays Peik Lin in the movie, had talked about the possibility. “We have a larger, longer-running format because we’re doing a series,” he said. “We have so much runway to really share the world you kind of got a glimpse of in ‘Crazy Rich.’ We’re really excited to show more.”

Additionally, in 2024, it was announced that John Chu was taking “Crazy Rich Asians” to Broadway. Meant to be a musical, Leah Nanako Winkler is writing the book for the musical, with Helen Park doing the music and Amanda Green and Tat Tong writing the lyrics.