Eight years after Crazy Rich Asians turned Rachel Chu’s Singapore odyssey into the biggest rom-com of the decade, the franchise is officially coming back — just not the way fans expected.
HBO Max confirmed in October 2026 that a sequel series is heading into production in 2027, with eight episodes planned and several familiar faces returning to the ride. Director Jon M. Chu and screenwriter Adele Lim will once again team up for the next installment.
“WE’RE DOING IT!!! Eight years ago @jonmchu pulled me on to the Crazy Rich ride of a lifetime, which started with the brilliant @kevinkwanbooks,” showrunner Lim wrote via Instagram. “We finally get to make the sequel the world[’s] been clamoring for, but instead of one more movie, we’ll have EIGHT EPISODES OF CRAZY RICH MAGIC. Thank you to the fans for your patience, love, and support. IT WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT.”
Keep scrolling to find out which Crazy Rich Asians stars will also return — and who won’t:
Constance Wu
HBO Max confirmed in October that Constance Wu will reprise her role as Rachel Chu, the breakout lead of the original film.
In the original movie, Chinese-American professor Rachel traveled to her boyfriend Nick Young’s (Henry Golding) home in Singapore for a friend’s wedding. The couple got engaged at the end of the movie after overcoming family drama, including his mother’s disapproval.
Henry Golding
Henry Golding is also set to return as Nick Young after previously teasing the project.
“There are scripts hanging around but they haven’t been passed on yet,” he said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in June 2025. “I haven’t read anything, but I hear it’s promising.”
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh, who portrayed Nick’s mother in the beloved romantic comedy, will also come back for the HBO Max series.
Ronny Chieng
Ronny Chieng will be back for the HBO Max series as well, reprising his role as Nick’s billionaire cousin Eddie.
Harry Shum Jr.
Harry Shum Jr. played Charlie Wu, the future love interest to Gemma Chan’s Astrid, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at the end of Crazy Rich Asians. Shum, currently starring on Grey’s Anatomy and Dancing With the Stars in 2026, has not publicly locked in his return.
“I know they’re focusing on a television series right now. They’re trying to really elevate that,” Shum exclusively told Us in June 2025, teasing the new creative direction. “I think the hardest part is to try and just give the fans the world that they expect and that they fell in love with, which is incredibly hard to do with so many characters, so many rich stories.”
Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan, who played Astrid in the original film, has kept things coy about a potential return.
“Jon Chu has said that it’s been such a long time since the film came out and it’s so beloved — they’ve wanted to wait until they get it really right before bringing everybody back,” Chan revealed to the Wall Street Journal in March 2025. “I’m crossing my fingers and willing it to happen.”
Astrid and Charlie’s second-chance love story is heavily featured in the second and third books of author Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians series.
Chris Pang
Chris Pang played Nick’s best friend Colin Khoo, but has not confirmed his future involvement.
“I’ve heard that we’re doing a sequel and it’s in the works, and it’s going to be on HBO. They’re doing it now,” he said on Good Morning America in June 2026, adding that the series will “follow all the characters that we’ve met and learned to love from the first movie.”
Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang and Nico Santos Haven’t Addressed Potential Cameos
Fellow costars Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang and Nico Santos all appeared in the original Crazy Rich Asians film as Rachel’s friends and Nick’s cousins alike. Neither HBO Max nor the actors themselves have publicly confirmed whether any of the four will be part of the sequel series.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
