Crazy Rich Asians to return as TV show with original film's stars

Four of the stars of 2018's Crazy Rich Asians film are reprising their roles for a TV show of the same name.

The series will pick up events after the end of the hit film, with Constance Wu and Henry Golding playing their lead roles of Rachel and Nick, while Ronny Chieng is back as Eddie and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh will have a recurring role as Nick's mother Eleanor.

"It's a 'Crazy Rich' family reunion!" said Adele Lim, who co-wrote the film, calling it the sequel we've been waiting for". It will "delve into the characters and worlds of Kevin Kwan's brilliant books" over eight episodes, she said.

The show will be made by HBO, and the news was announced days after HBO's parent company Warner Bros announced its £110bn (£82.8bn) merger with Paramount Skydance.

Adapted from Kwan's bestseller books, written between 2013 and 2017, the film topped the US box office and was nominated for two Golden Globes.

It featured an all-Asian cast and told the story of an Asian-American woman who gets a culture shock meeting her boyfriend's ultra-wealthy family in Singapore.

Lim is showrunner for the new TV series and will be one of the executive producers, as will the the film's director Jon M Chu.

He said the film had "changed his life", calling the cast and crew the "most creative and hilarious group of people I've ever known".

"Since then, this cast has become movie stars, superheroes, arena-filling performers and even an Oscar winner, so bringing everyone back together feels like coming home."

Lim added: "Our writers room is humming and we can't wait to share what we've come up with."

The series, co-produced by HBO and Warner Bros Television, will start production next year.

"Constance, Henry, Ronny, and Michelle are global superstars, and we know the passionate fans of the film and megahit novels can't wait to see more," said said Casey Bloys, co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance Direct-To-Consumer.