Crazy Rich Asians is finally, officially coming back—in TV form

Credit to the HBO marketing team: The “series announcement” teaser they rolled out for the show at today does answer most of the really pressing questions we might have had about this project, including making it clear that this is a sequel to the 2018 movie—and, probably most importantly, making it clear that Constance Wu, Henry Golding, and Michelle Yeoh will all be back. (Ronny Chieng, a very funny guy who was like 12th-billed on the original movie, as a cousin of Golding’s Nick, also makes the cut, which mostly serves to highlight the fact that stars Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, and Awkwafina—at least some of whom were reportedly involved in some of those nebulous sequel/spin-off plans, aren’t currently on the list.) 

Of course, the teaser also makes it clear that the show isn’t even going into production until next year, so there’s still plenty of time to shore up that cast; in the meantime, HBO also announced that Adele Lim, who co-wrote the film, will serve as showrunner on the series, working as an executive producer alongside Kwan, Chu, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson. (Although she most recently worked in film—including co-writing Raya And The Last Dragon and directing 2023’s Joy Ride—Lim came up in the world of TV, where she wrote on everything from One Tree Hill to the ill-fated Lethal Weapon TV show.) Chu himself issued a statement as part of the big press blitz announcing the show, one tinged with just a bit of relief that it’s going to finally get the fanbase off his back: “Finally, I get to answer the question I’ve been asked almost every day for eight years: ‘When are we getting the sequel?’ Well… bok bok bitch, we’re back.”