SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Years after Singapore-born author Kevin Kwan’s book Crazy Rich Asians was adapted into the 2018 hit Hollywood romantic comedy film of the same name, its kooky Singaporean characters with enough cash to burn are finally coming back – to the small screen.
Multiple Hollywood entertainment trade outlets such as Variety and Deadline reported that a television series based on the Crazy Rich Asians book trilogy (2013 to 2017), which includes sequels China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, is in development at streamer Max, previously known in Singapore as HBO Go.
Malaysia-born screenwriter Adele Lim, who co-wrote the script for the movie, will serve as executive producer, writer and showrunner. The film’s original director, American film-maker Jon M. Chu, and Kwan will serve as executive producers alongside her.
It is not known yet if any of the film’s cast will return to star in the series.
Kwan posted on Instagram on March 1 to confirm the news, which he called “crazy exciting”.
Lim, who went on to co-write animated movie Raya And The Last Dragon (2021) and direct and write the comedy movie Joy Ride (2023), also celebrated the news on the same day.
She wrote on Instagram: “The band’s back together. Having come up in the industry as a TV writer-producer, I am beyond excited for the opportunity to develop for TV the next iteration of Crazy Rich Asians, which reshaped not only my career but the landscape for Asian creatives and stories in Hollywood.”
Chu, who helmed the hit 2024 musical movie Wicked, commented beneath her post to say: “It’s time.”
He is also set to direct a Crazy Rich Asians musical, which is aiming to open on Broadway.
Los Angeles-based Singaporean songwriter and producer Tat Tong is slated to write the show’s lyrics alongside Tony-nominated American Amanda Green. A premiere date has yet to be set.
Subsequent screen adaptations of Kwan’s novels have been a long time in the making since the success of the 2018 movie. Chu told Variety in a 2019 interview that he wanted to adapt the next two books with two back-to-back sequels, but development soon stalled.
Lim exited the film sequels due to a pay disparity controversy, alleging she was offered a much lower salary than co-writer Peter Chiarelli, who was also slated to return to write for the sequels.
The first movie centred on an Asian-American woman (Constance Wu), who finds herself thrust into the world of the ultra-rich when her Singaporean boyfriend (Henry Golding), heir to one of Asia’s wealthiest families, takes her to the island state to meet his family, including his controlling mother (Michelle Yeoh).
It was a box-office success, earning over US$239 million (S$323 million) worldwide, and attracted tourists to local sights like Chijmes and Gardens by the Bay, which featured onscreen. Local stars like Pierre Png, Tan Kheng Hua and Koh Chieng Mun were part of the cast too. - The Straits Times/ANN
