Jon M. Chu Finally Drops a Candid Update on Crazy Rich Asians TV Series

Quick update for anyone waiting on more Crazy Rich Asians: Jon M. Chu says the TV series is not a rumor, not a wish list item, but an actual thing with scripts in hand and a plan. The caveat: they are still waiting on the official go-ahead before cameras roll.

'It is a real thing. We have scripts, and we are waiting to be officially ready to go.'

Chu told Esquire the show is being set up at HBO Max and will pull from Kevin Kwan's second novel, China Rich Girlfriend, but do not expect a straight page-to-screen lift. The first movie reshaped a bunch of character arcs, so the series has to thread that needle. In other words, they are using the book as a springboard, not a shot-for-shot blueprint.

He also said the cast you know will be back when this moves forward. No formal announcement yet, but that points to Constance Wu and Henry Golding returning as Rachel Chu and Nick Young. On the creative side, original film co-writer Adele Lim is running the room and serving as showrunner and executive producer, with Chu and author Kevin Kwan also executive producing. That is a strong continuity play from the film to the series.

• Status: scripts are done; waiting on the official greenlight to start production
• Home: in development at HBO Max
• Story approach: inspired by China Rich Girlfriend, but reworked to fit the film continuity (the movie changed characters enough that a one-to-one adaptation would not make sense)
• Cast: Chu says the original cast will be there; formal confirmations are still pending
• Creative team: Adele Lim is showrunner and EP; Jon M. Chu and Kevin Kwan are EPs
• Franchise plan: per Deadline, this series does not replace the long-discussed film sequel; it is meant to live alongside it in the same universe
• Context: the 2018 film made over $239 million worldwide and landed a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy; it followed Rachel, an NYU professor, as she discovers her boyfriend Nick comes from one of Singapore's richest families
• Chu's plate: he has Wicked: For Good in theaters November 21, and he is developing Hot Wheels and Oh, the Places You will Go! as films

The behind-the-scenes wrinkle here is that adapting book two after a hit movie is trickier than it sounds; once the film version bends characters and relationships, the writers room has to rebuild the roadmap. Chu was blunt about that, saying you could not go line-by-line from the novel, but there is plenty in there to mine.

Bottom line: the CRA show is real, it is designed to live beside the sequel rather than replace it, scripts are ready, and the original team is lined up. Now we wait for the switch to flip.