Crazy Rich Asians spin-off focusing on Gemma Chan in the works

LOS ANGELES - A spin-off movie from 2018's blockbuster hit Crazy Rich Asians is in the works.

It will feature the romance between two fan favourite characters, Astrid Teo (played by Gemma Chan) and Charlie Wu (played by Harry Shum Jr), who also appear in the book by Kevin Kwan that the movie was based on.

According to entertainment website Deadline, Emmy-nominated producer and screenwriter Jason Kim will pen the spin-off, which is currently in early development.

A Crazy Rich Asians sequel has also been reported earlier to be in development. Both the spin-off and sequel will be tied to Kwan's second book in the trilogy, China Rich Girlfriend.

The spin-off will reportedly tell the story of newly single Astrid, who was married to a philanderer (played by Pierre Png), and her reunion with her first love, Charlie.

Crazy Rich Asians, starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, was the first Hollywood movie since The Joy Luck Club (1993) to feature an all-Westernised Asian ensemble cast. Partly filmed in Singapore, it featured many local landmarks.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, who is also helming the sequel, it was the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the 2010s, making more than US$238 million (S$330 million) at the box office worldwide.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.