Jon M. Chu suggests “bar is too high” for Crazy Rich Asians sequel

Crazy Rich Asians captured the Chinese culture like no Hollywood production had in decades, garnering an immediate fanbase that propelled it to box office success and awards recognition, even getting Golden Globe and SAG nods. With that, it’s no wonder sequel talk was on the table. But director Jon M. Chu isn’t going to do it just to get people back in theaters, he’s going to do it because a Crazy Rich Asians sequel has to matter.

Speaking with Deadline, Chu said he doesn’t want to waste the cast’s time without giving it all for a Crazy Rich Asian sequel, but he has good reason for that. “I won’t bring everyone back unless it’s worth it. There’s too much on the line for everybody.” He added, “I want the best thing. I want it to be worthy of what Crazy Rich Asians 1 was. We’ve tried all different versions. It’s hard because people think the first movie is like the book, but it actually is not. It’s the right spirit, but the plotting is very different. And so, you can’t just go and translate. And we’ve tried versions and the fact is, is that we just haven’t gotten there…And there’s no way I’m dragging the audience back. There’s no way the bar is too high. So, in time when we get there, we will.”

Word on a Crazy Rich Asians sequel has been circulating for a while now, with the plan being to adapt the second book in Kevin Kwan’s series, China Rich Girlfriend. That could then open the door for Rich People Problems, which concluded his trilogy back in 2017. 

But with so much time resting between the release of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians and now, one wonders if the heart for a sequel fully there or not, or if the time and focus on perfecting it will get in the way of a timelier release. Word came not that long ago that filming would take place in early 2025, but honestly, Chu doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic about returning, which might not necessarily be a bad thing. Even though the book has built-in sequels, is it totally necessary to complete it on the big screen? Why bother trying to capture that again when there could be so many other stories of Asian culture to tell?

Do you think Crazy Rich Asians will ever get its sequel? Does it even need one?