Warner Bros. has begun work on a Crazy Rich Asians spin-off film based around the characters Astrid and Charlie. Based on the popular book of the same name, Crazy Rich Asians was a box office hit when it opened in the summer of 2018, and Warner Bros. quickly went to work to capitalize on the film's success by greenlighting a sequel. However, progress on the sequel has been slow, featuring changing writers and working around the cast's busy schedules.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. is looking to develop a spinoff film focusing on the characters Astrid Young Teo (Gemma Chan) and Charlie Wu (Harry Shum Jr.) with a script from Barry writer Jason Kim. In the novel, Astrid and Charlie were previously engaged, but Astrid’s parents broke them up as they didn’t see Charlie as a suitable husband, only for them to be reunited after Astrid discovers her husband is having an affair. The characters' romance was teased at the end of Crazy Rich Asians and was expected to be part of the sequel. However, now it will be expanded on in its own feature film.
It makes sense that Warner Bros. would turn this storyline into a spinoff. Expanding Astrid and Charlie's story into a separate film allows more room for Crazy Rich Asians 2 to focus on its primary story while giving Astrid and Charlie's story its own room to breathe. Warner Bros. also likely wants to capitalize on the recent star power of Gemma Chan, who starred in Marvel Studios Eternals, and Harry Shum Jr. has his own passionate fanbase due to his roles in projects like Glee and Shadowhunters. While progress on the official Crazy Rich Asians sequel takes time, a spinoff film is a good way to expand this popular book series into a long-running franchise.
Source: Deadline