Crazy Rich Asians begins filming

Some details have been released on the cast of the film adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s 2013 novel, Crazy Rich Asians.

Screen Rant reports that filming has begun on Crazy Rich Asians, which is directed by Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me 2). The book was written by Singaporean satirist Kwan, who wanted to write about Asian-American issues. A follow-up novel, China Rich Girl, has already been released with a third installment on the way called Rich People Problems.

Crazy Rich Asians centers on a trip to Singapore made by Asian American Rachel Chu (played by Constance Wu from Fresh Off the Boat) with her boyfriend, Nick Young (played by Henry Golding). She finds out that he comes from one of the richest families in Malaysia and she finds herself contending with competing socialites, as well as Nick’s disapproving mother (played by Michelle Yeoh).

According to Screen Rant, the film also stars:

“Chris Pang (Marco Polo), Sonoya Mizuno (La La Land), Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show), and several Singaporean actors – most notably including Pierre Png, Fiona Xie, and Tan Kheng Hua. The movie will be co-produced by Nina Jacobson (The Hunger Games) and Brad Simpson (World War Z) of Color Force, alongside John Penotti (Hell or High Water) of Ivanhoe. Tim Coddington, Robert Friedland, and Kwan will serve as executive producers, with Warner Bros. Pictures providing worldwide distribution.”

Crazy Rich Asians will be filming on location in Singapore and Malaysia with Vanja Cernjul as director of photography, Nelson Coates as production designer, Mary Vogt as costume designer, and Myron Kerstein as editor.

The film will be a great opportunity to showcase Asian talents and to bring stories about Asian-Americans to the big screen. In an age when Hollywood is being criticized for its lack of diversity, this film will be a welcome and refreshing change.

Watch this space for more news on Crazy Rich Asians.