Since its release in the summer of 2018 – August 7, Crazy Rich Asians – the first installment adapted from the CrazyRich Asian trilogy novels were dominating the box office; becoming the most successful romantic comedy of the decade. The film has grossed well over $238 million worldwide since its release.
The film is based on the novel Crazy Rich Asian written by Kevin Kwan in 2013 and directed by Jon M. Chu. It tells the story of a Chinese-American New York University economics professor who travels to Singapore with his boyfriend for his best friend’s wedding. She meets his family to discover that they are among the wealthiest families in the country.
Crazy Rich Asian Trilogy and Sequels
In 2013, Kevin Kwan published his novel Crazy Rich Asians with the aim of introducing contemporary Asia to the world. The novel became an instant hit and was quickly followed by the sequel Rich Girlfriend China in 2015 and then Rich People’s Problems in 2017, giving rise to the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy.
In 2018, a movie of the same name was released as an adaptation of the novel, and just like the novel, it garnered huge commercial and critical acclaim, becoming one of the best and most successful romantic comedies of the decade. After the first movie, the other two adaptations of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy are also set to hit the screens soon.
For anyone who’s seen the first movie, it’ll only be normal to expect another one to come after planting a ‘to be continued’ seed and also with the mid-credit scene giving a hint of a possible reunion between Astrid and her ex-boyfriend Charlie.
China Rich Girlfriend is the second book in Kevin’s Trilogy by Kwan. It tells how Rachel and Nick travel to China to look for her father who all the while she has been led to believe that she is dead and dirty. It also continues the story of their engagement. And the final sequel to the trilogy is Rich People Problems which tells the story of conspiracy, fighting and backstabbing in the lives of rich people as Nick’s grandmother lies in her sickbed.
What’s nice about the trilogy is that you don’t have to watch Crazy Rich Asians before you can follow the two if they ever make it out, at least that’s how it is with the novels. However, watching it will give you a better understanding compared to someone who hasn’t. The second book in the series takes place 2 years after the end of the first story, followed by the third.
To throw
If you’ve watched the first film in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, you’re sure to meet some of your favorite actors in the sequels – China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems . Here are the actors from Crazy Rich Asians.
1. Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) – Born to a single mother, Chu is a young and fresh New York University economics professor and girlfriend of Nick Young. In the second part of the work, she discovers that her father is a billionaire and after many tries, she ends up marrying Nick.
2. Nick Young (Henry Golding) – He is a history professor at New York University who kept the secrets of his family’s wealthy status hidden from his girlfriend Rachel Wu. As he marries Rachael, their two wealthy parents attend ceremony.
3. Eleanor Young (Michelle Yeoh) – She is Nick Young’s mother who does not like the relationship between Rachel and her son. However, in the next part of the job, she has a different opinion of Rachel having realized that she is also rich
4. Astrid Leong (Gemma Chan) – She is Nick Young’s cousin and a true friend of Rachel who is dealing with her own family problem. She is often referred to as the “goddess” due to her radiant beauty and high fashion sense. She will have many problems with her marriage to Michael Teo. Will they survive?
5. Michael Teo ( Pierre Png) – So much is going to change at Michael in China Rich Girlfriend following his success with his new venture. Yet he is nowhere near his wife’s family.
6. Charlie Wu (Harry Shum Jr.) – He used to be in love with Astrid but then his powerful family separated them. Now, with crises in both of their marriages, the fire of their love for each other may well be on its way back. The reason Astrid’s family didn’t want him to marry her is because he wasn’t rich at their level.
7. Peik Lin (Awkwafina) – She is a good friend and confidante of Rachel. She comes from a very wealthy Singaporean family. She will also play with her true friendship with Rachel in the second film in the franchise.
8. Kitty Pong (Fiona Xie) – She left Alister Cheng who is a cousin of Nick for Bernard Tai. However, the syndicate hit the rocks and she is now in a heated legal battle with Tai for custody of Gisele (their daughter). Moreover, she got herself a new lover in Jack Bing and she is now heading to Shanghai.
9. Bao Gaoling – New character, he is a Chinese billionaire, politician and businessman who happens to be Rachel’s biological father.
10. Bao Shaoyen – She is the wife of Bao Gaoling and the mother of 23-year-old Carlton Bao. Although she initially refused to accept Rachel, she later came and accepted her. But did she?
11. Carlton Bao – He doesn’t appear in the first installment, but you’ll meet him in the second and third as Rachel’s paternal half-brother. He’s a wild child.
12. Jack Bing – This is also one of the new characters you’ll meet. He is also a billionaire and Kitty’s new lover after she leaves Benard. Or is he?
13. Colin (Chris Pang) – a childhood and best friend of Nick Young, whose extravagant wedding to Araminta will quench Asia’s thirst for a royal wedding.
14. Colette Bing – If you’re having trouble guessing, she’s the daughter of fashion blogger Jack Bing. She’s not the one you’ll like if you don’t like bad guys, because that’s all she is.
For all the characters that are introduced in the sequels of Crazy Rich Asians, although there is speculation about who can play which role, we still don’t actually know when it comes down to who will play the roles.
Release date
When it comes to the release date of China Rich’s Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, most people would think Warner Bros. will be rushing into sequels in order to exploit the popularity and excitement that Crazy Rich Asians has enjoyed so far. now.
However, we can’t have it as soon as we want it, but it won’t take forever to drop. According to some reports, Chu is currently working on In the Heights, which is slated for release in 2020. It is after that that he is expected to return to the second work in the series.
If we have to go through this, then the bet is that we’re going to get Crazy Rich Asians 2 in 2021. At worst, which is almost totally unlikely, it will be released in 2022. Once the second of the film is released, the third and final one will arrive almost immediately afterwards. The third is not expected to take any longer than the second took to be released.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the tables have already begun to move regarding the continuation of the work. The report, which was made in 2018, said that the team behind the highly successful romance film was coming together to rock China Rich Girlfriend. Aside from Chu who we learned has already signed on for the second, it’s unclear if any other cast members, including screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, have signed on yet.
Everything Else About the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy
Already, there are other important things we know so far about the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy:
1. Warner Bros. hasn’t officially given the green light yet for work to begin on the next film, but as already stated, the groundwork has already been lifted. As with all other series, there is what is known as the waiting period and which is the period that Warner Bros. is in when it comes to sequels.
2. China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems should be shot in one go, but they will not air together. Sources revealed that there will be no delay for the two sequels.
3. It’s normal that you expect to be greeted with new characters in the sequel. Nothing to fear, your old and favorite characters have not lost their place.
4. Some of the names that have been flagged to appear in subsequent sequels include John Cho who could likely play Jack Bing, Lana Condor as Colette Bing, and Michelle Chong as Roxanne Ma. speculation as the producers haven’t announced anything yet.
5. The first sequel to the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy is going to be shot in China. According to John Penotti, China Rich Girlfriend will have its location in Shanghai. The producer made the revelation during the Chinese American Film Festival Co-Production Summit. What is not known, however, is whether there will be a China-US. the co-production that was tried in the first install but didn’t work.