Crazy Rich Asians series ordered at HBO with original cast

HBO has given a series order to Crazy Rich Asians, a follow-up to the 2018 film based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novels. Deadline reports that the one-hour drama has Adele Lim, co-writer of the film, as showrunner, with director Jon M. Chu and Kwan among the executive producers.

Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Ronny Chieng return in their original roles. Michelle Yeoh, an Academy Award winner, is set to recur, according to ABC News. Filming is due to begin in 2027, and the first season runs to eight episodes. HBO hasn’t announced a premiere date.

A sequel that took the long way round

The series has been in development since early 2025, originally at HBO Max. That came after a film sequel based on Kwan’s China Rich Girlfriend fell apart. Lim left that project in a dispute over pay parity with Warner Bros., and scheduling conflicts, including Chu’s commitment to the Wicked films, also got in the way.

Lim says the series is “the sequel we’ve been waiting for”, and that instead of one movie, viewers get eight episodes to explore the characters and worlds of Kwan’s books.

First order under the new owner

The order is the first series pickup for HBO since Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery completed their merger, which became official two days earlier under Skydance. Casey Bloys, co-chair and chief creative officer for direct-to-consumer at Skydance, said the cast are “global superstars” and that fans of the film and novels can’t wait for more. Bloys previously led HBO and HBO Max, and now also oversees Paramount+. The two services have about 200 million subscribers between them, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

For viewers in the UAE, no regional release plans have been announced. Check back for details once HBO sets a date; in the meantime, our guide to another long-awaited follow-up, The Princess Diaries 3, shows how slowly these things can move.