By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The Crazy Rich Asians trailer debuted on April 23, and it is setting up to not only potentially be the breakout comedy of the summer, but a potential trailblazer for the increased presence of diversity.
Based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians follows Rachel Chu, played by Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), a New Yorker who is dating Nick Young (newcomer Henry Golding). Nick invites Rachel to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore and she discovers that Nick comes from an outrageously rich family, and that he is one of the most sought-after bachelors in Asia.
There are a lot of hopes riding on the film. It’s one of the first comedy releases from a major studio featuring Asians and Asian Americans in the primary roles. While comedies catering to other minorities have found box office success in the past, Hollywood has yet to tap in to Asia for comedy.
Directed by John M. Chu, best known for G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Step Up 2: The Streets, and Now You See Me 2 — the movie also features Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Glee’s Harry Shum Jr, Ken Jeong, Chris Pang, Silicon Valley actor Jimmy O Yang, Ronny Chieng, and Lisa Lu.
Crazy Rich Asians hits cinemas on August 17.