A poster of Warner Bros. film "Crazy Rich Asians"
The follow-up of Warner Bros.' Asian-centric film "Crazy Rich Asians," based on Kevin Kwan's novel of the same name, is reportedly in the development stages after an impressive box office success in its opening weekend.
"The creative team behind Warner Bros.' breakout romantic comedy is planning to reunite for the sequel, based on Kevin Kwan's second book, 'China Rich Girlfriend.'" American digital and print magazine, the Hollywood Reporter, reported on Wednesday.
Kwan was born in Singapore as the youngest of three boys into an established Chinese family. The "Crazy Rich Asians" inspired by his childhood in Singapore was the first of his trilogy novels. The two other titles are "China Rich Girlfriend" and "Rich People Problems."
"Warner Bros. has not yet officially greenlighted the sequel... but with the massive opening weekend results, a strong performance in weeks to come will all but guarantee the sequel is a go," the Hollywood Reporter added.
"No deals are final, but (we're) planning on it," a Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson was also quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.
As a modest 30 million production, "Crazy Rich Asians" took the top spot of North American box office with a 35 million U.S. dollars five-day opening last weekend, breaking all expectations of the industry. The romantic comedy-drama film is the first Hollywood studio film in over 25 years to feature a nearly all Asian cast since 1993's "Joy Luck Club," which earned a lifetime gross of 33 million dollars in North American theaters and was the highest grossing Asian-centric studio movie before last weekend.
Producers and directors of "Crazy Rich Asians" drew cast from all over the world: China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, England and America. Directed by Chinese American filmmaker Jon M. Chu, the film stars Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Constance Wu, Ken Jeong, Harry Shum Jr., Chris Pang, Sonoya Mizuno, Jing Lusi and Awkwafina. The plot follows a young Chinese American woman who travels to meet her boyfriend's family, only to find them to be among the richest in Singapore.
The film received an "A" from moviegoers on CinemaScore and a highly positive 93 percent certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes to date.
