HBO orders a Crazy Rich Asians drama that picks up after the 2018 film
HBO's eight-episode drama continues the 2018 Crazy Rich Asians film with its original cast, while the premiere date and plot details remain unannounced.
On 8 October 2026, HBO ordered a Crazy Rich Asians drama series of eight one-hour episodes, according to TVLine. The show continues the story of the 2018 film. Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Ronny Chieng return as series regulars, and Michelle Yeoh joins in a recurring role.
TheWrap reported the order days after Skydance officially acquired Warner Bros. Discovery. The series is a sequel to the 2018 film and is co-produced by HBO and Warner Bros. Television. The premiere window, the characters the returning actors will play and the plot have not been announced.
What HBO has ordered
HBO describes the series as a one-hour original drama. TVLine reports that it runs eight episodes, which makes the order roughly eight hours of programming. Production is set to begin in 2027, and no launch window has been given.
HBO says the story will pick up after the events of the 2018 film, but it has not released plot details. According to TheWrap, the franchise is based on the novels of Kevin Kwan. TVLine says the film is based on his 2013 novel.
Lim, the film’s co-writer, has praised the expanded format for exploring the sequel across several episodes instead of one movie, according to TheWrap. TVLine quotes her saying the writers’ room is humming and that the eight episodes let the team delve into the characters and worlds of Kwan’s books.
The order covers eight episodes, each about an hour long.
The film’s gross
Box Office Mojo lists the 2018 film at $239.3 million worldwide, including 2020 and 2021 re-releases, against a reported $30 million production budget.
Who is making the sequel
Lim co-wrote the 2018 film. She is showrunner and an executive producer through her company, 100 Tigers. Naia Cucukov Richards, also of 100 Tigers, and Rose Lam are also executive producers. TheWrap names at least nine executive producers, including Lim.
Kevin Kwan, who wrote the source novels, is an executive producer on the series. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, of Color Force, produced the film and are executive producers on the series. Jon M. Chu, who directed the film, is an executive producer through Electric Somewhere.
Chloe Dan and Jeannine Tang of SK Global Entertainment are also executive producers. TheWrap reports that SK Global co-financed the film. The series therefore draws on several of the partners that built the original release, including its producers, its director and one of its co-financiers.
Warner Bros. Television is listed as a co-producer alongside HBO, according to TheWrap. Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, is among the executives quoted in the announcement.
The cast and their film roles
Four actors from the film return: three as series regulars and one in a recurring role. TVLine lists the film roles they played. Wu played Rachel, a professor. Golding played Nick, Rachel’s boyfriend from a wealthy Singapore family. Chieng played Eddie, Nick’s cousin, and Yeoh played Eleanor, Nick’s mother.
The announcement does not name the characters the four will play in the series. TheWrap describes Yeoh as an Oscar winner, and TVLine lists her in a recurring role rather than as a series regular.
Channing Dungey said Kwan has built a world that blends glitz, humor and heart, and that Lim returns to adapt the story for a new TV audience, according to TheWrap. Bloys said he is excited that Lim and the film’s team are bringing the next chapter to life, also according to TheWrap.
Casey Bloys called the four returning actors ‘global superstars’ in remarks reported by TVLine. He also said fans are eager for more.
Kwan said fans have been waiting patiently and that the HBO format gives the stories more room to grow, according to TheWrap. TVLine reports that he is thrilled the family is getting back together, and says it is a dream to see his characters on an HBO series.
The film’s box-office base
Box Office Mojo lists the 2018 film at $239.3 million worldwide, or $239,343,729. Domestic grosses were $174.8 million and international grosses were $64.5 million. The original release ran from 15 August to 14 December 2018, and the worldwide total includes re-releases.
TheWrap gives the worldwide total as over $239 million. The re-releases added small amounts: a June 2020 international re-release grossed $6,277, and a 2021 domestic re-release grossed $304,531.
The reported production budget was $30 million. On those figures, the worldwide gross was about eight times the budget. Domestic grosses made up about 73 percent of the total and international markets about 27 percent. All three ratios are calculations from the totals above.
TheWrap says the film became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the 2010s. It also describes the film as the first modern story with an all-Asian cast in 23 years.
The series has not premiered and no premiere date has been announced, so there are no viewing figures to compare with the film’s results.
The series has not premiered and no premiere date has been announced.
Skydance ownership and open questions
TheWrap reports that the order was announced on a Thursday afternoon, days after Skydance officially acquired Warner Bros. Discovery. The project is therefore being announced under new ownership.
The two reports give different titles for Casey Bloys. TVLine lists him as HBO chairman and CEO. TheWrap lists him as co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance Direct-To-Consumer.
Confirmed in the announcement: the eight-episode order, the one-hour format, Wu, Golding and Chieng as series regulars, Yeoh in a recurring role, Lim as showrunner, and production starting in 2027.
Not yet announced: a premiere date or launch window, the characters the returning cast will play, plot details beyond the statement that the series picks up after the film, and any guest stars.
Key dates in the record
The original release of the 2018 film ran from 15 August to 14 December 2018, according to Box Office Mojo. A re-release came on 25 June 2020 in the EMEA and APAC regions, and a further domestic re-release is listed for 2021.
The order was announced on 8 October 2026, days after the Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to TheWrap. Production is set to begin in 2027, and no premiere date has been given.
The order came about eight years after the film’s original release.
Photo: MTV International · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
