Crazy Rich Asians Director John M. Chu Explains Why Sequel Hasn't Moved Forward Yet: 'The Bar Is High for All of Us'

Crazy Rich Asians director John M. Chu says "a lot of questions" remain about the potential for a sequel to the hit 2018 romantic comedy.

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Chu, 45, highlighted his willingness to only make a Crazy Rich Asians 2 if the stars properly align.

"I always promised the cast, I will not bring them back unless we get a script that’s better and has as much urgency as the first movie," he told the publication, adding that at the moment, "we just haven’t gotten there yet."

"The first movie, even though people think, 'It’s like the book, so the second book should fit in,' it’s actually not. There’s a lot of shifting, architecturally, and so it’s not a straight translation. And then there are characters that you want to see in a movie that are part of the book. We’ve done some versions and it’s never quite hit."

Ultimately, Chu highlighted that "the bar is high for all of us to come back to do that, so I’m not going to put the audience through that until we’re ready to do it."

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2018's Crazy Rich Asians chronicled the love between Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and Nick Young (Henry Golding). Rachel finds herself thrust into a world of pomp and elitism after accompanying her boyfriend to a friend's wedding in Singapore, where she learns about his family's true wealth and his status as a sought-after bachelor.

The film was adapted from the 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan. The author also published a sequel novel in 2015 titled China Rich Girlfriend, which follows the emotional aftermath of the couple's Singapore trip and the evolving dynamics between themselves, their families and the greater world around them.

Chu isn't the only member of the film's crew open to a sequel. In 2023, Awkwafina, who stars as Peik Lin Goh in the movie, noted on Good Morning America, "It would be so meaningful [to make a sequel]. They're like my family, and at this point it's been so long," she added. "We would love to all get back together."

Although confirmation on a proper sequel eludes fans and stars of the film alike, Chu is revisiting Crazy Rich Asians in a new Broadway adaptation that was unveiled back in April 2024.