Warner Bros. Pictures has announced filming began today on Crazy Rich Asians, the studio’s feature adaptation of the worldwide bestseller Kevin Kwan.
Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me 2, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) is directing the contemporary romantic comedy, which features an entirely Asian international cast. The film stars Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat); Henry Golding in his feature film debut; Gemma Chan (Humans); Awkwafina (the upcoming Ocean’s 8, Neighbors 2); and Michelle Yeoh (the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).
Color Force’s Nina Jacobson (The Hunger Games) and Brad Simpson (World War Z), and Ivanhoe’s John Penotti (Hell or High Water) are producing the film, with Tim Coddington, Robert Friedland and Kwan serving as executive producers.
Crazy Rich Asians follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.
The film’s large ensemble cast also includes Chris Pang (Marco Polo), Sonoya Mizuno (La La Land), Jing Lusi (Stan Lee’s Lucky Man), and comedian Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show), as well as a number of Singaporean actors, including Pierre Png, Fiona Xie and Tan Kheng Hua.
The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Vanja Cernjul (Marco Polo), production designer Nelson Coates (Fifty Shades Darker), costume designer Mary Vogt (Kong: Skull Island) and editor Myron Kerstein (Going in Style).
Crazy Rich Asians is being filmed entirely on location in Singapore and Malaysia. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company
