Exciting news: HBO Max developing 'Crazy Rich Asians' series

WARNER BROTHERS

Director Jon M Chu (2nd from left), author Kevin Kwan (far right) and
the cast of 'Crazy Rich Asians.'

If you thought the Crazy Rich Asians movement was just a one-and-done blockbuster moment, think again. Director Jon M. Chu is doubling down on the "cinematic universe of the Asian diaspora," officially moving forward with an HBO Max series that promises to give our stories the "real estate" they deserve.

Despite the shortage of AANHPI presence at the Golden Globes and the upcoming Oscars, a pending AANHPI creative wave is about to change all that. 

As of January 2026, the long-awaited scripts are in, the buzz is loud and excitement is bubbling in the AANHPI communities hungry to see themselves and share their stories.

Ever since Crazy Rich Asians broke down cultural and discriminatory barriers with its box office success, engaging characters and relatable storyline, fans have been waiting for the sequel based on the trilogy of novels by Kevin Kwan.

Chu has been vocal about the struggle to fit Kwan’s sprawling world into a single film. A TV series allows the writers and director to move past "vanilla representations" and dig into the complex, messy, and authentically human layers of our community that usually get left on the cutting room floor.

While drawing inspiration from China Rich Girlfriend, the second book of the CRA trilogy, this isn't a stale page-to-screen retread. Chu says the characters have "evolved" beyond the original novels, reflecting the growth of the AANHPI landscape since the first film broke the 25-year drought of all-Asian casts in 2018.

Adele Lim, part of the original screenwriting team, is back in the fold as showrunner. Having AAPI voices at the helm ensures that the "love language" of our culture remains the heartbeat of the show, rather than a background prop. Her involvement has been instrumental inreuniting members of the original cast.

While official contracts are still under wraps as of January 2026, the signal from the inner circle is clear: "Our cast will be there."

Casting underway

While no deals are official, Chu has stated he is confident the original cast will return. Henry Golding (Nick Young) has mentioned that he and other cast members like Gemma Chan (Astrid Teo) and Awkwafina (Peik Lin Goh) have been in unofficial talks with the showrunner.

“Everybody’s excited,” Golding shared on the Today Show recently.

“I was with Nora (Lum), Awkwafina, who is a fellow New Yorker, the other night, and we were discussing it. We had Adele Lim come over and visit me and Gemma [Chan] in London not too long ago to discuss where we’re heading. We have a larger, longer-running format because we’re doing a series. We have so much runway to really share the world you kind of got a glimpse of in Crazy Rich. We’re really excited to show more,” he added.

The original film follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an American economics professor who travels with her boyfriend, Nick Young, to his best friend's wedding in Singapore, only to discover he is from an incredibly wealthy family.

It was the first major Hollywood film in 25 years to feature a predominantly Asian American and Asian cast in a contemporary setting since The Joy Luck Club. The film presented Asians as fully realized characters  in roles beyond stereotypes.

The movie's surprising box office success and critical praise broke through the biases held by major Hollywood studios.

Since the movie's debut in 2018, cast members have been in high demand. The film’s ensemble cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Harry Shum Jr, Nico Santos, Ronny Chieng, Jimmy O. Yang, Ken Jeong, and Lisa Lu, among others.

This project lands at a critical time. With Chu coming off the massive success of Wicked (which snagged 10 Oscar nods), he’s using his institutional power garnered by his proven track record to ensure Asian Americans aren't just "guests" in Hollywood, but the architects of the narrative.

For years, Hollywood has been saying our stories are "niche." Chu is proving that when you lean into cultural specificity, you find something universal. The Crazy Rich Asians series isn't just about luxury—it's about the privilege of being seen as fully human on our own terms.

The developing series dosn't mean the film sequel is off the table. “I don’t know if it’s in lieu of a sequel but it felt clear that every character we wanted to explore needed more room and just a movie wasn’t doing it for us,” Chu said. “

Even with the strong possibility of watching Asians depicted as fully rounded individuals beyond the martial artists, dragon ladies, computer nerds, submissive and  background characters, no matter the medium, Crazy Rich Asians is just a harbinger of a wave of creativity from AANHPI artists.

Building an AAPI Powerhouse

With Chu officially launching his new era at Paramount earlier this month, we’re seeing a masterclass in how to turn cultural representation into institutional power.

On January 2, 2026, Chu’s three-year first-look deal with Paramount Pictures and Paramount Television Studios officially went into effect. This isn't just another contract; it’s a strategic shift for Asian American stories in Hollywood. 

Under this deal, Paramount gets the first crack at every new film and series Chu’s production banner, Electric Somewhere, develops. By moving onto the Paramount lot, Chu is positioned as a core architect of the studio’s future slate alongside heavyweights like the Duffer Brothers and Will Smith.

While Crazy Rich Asians remains at Max (Warner Bros.), the Paramount deal allows Chu to build a new pipeline of Asian-led projects. Paramount is betting that Chu can repeat the Wicked magic (which just shattered global records in late 2025) with original AAPI stories that have blockbuster potential.

The move signals a major studio’s commitment to "director-driven" projects that lean into Chu’s unique cultural lens. For the AAPI community, this means fewer hurdles to getting greenlit; we now have one of our own with a permanent seat at the table on Melrose Avenue.

Chu isn't just making movies anymore—he's building an infrastructure. After adapting two Broadway hits into movies, (In the Heights, Wicked), he is set to make his Broadway directorial debut with a stage adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians, featuring music by Helen Park.

We're excited to learn the fate of Crazy Rich Asians' beloved characters Rachel and Nick, Astrid and Charlie, Peik, Eleanor and the other characters from the Kwan's novels.

Between the Crazy Rich Asians projects and Chu's new Paramount powerhouse, the era of being "just a guest" in the studio system is officially over. Let's hope a new inclusive era is beginning.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

'Crazy Rich Asians' sequel reportedly underway

The cast of 'Crazy Rich Asians along with author Keven Kwan and director Jon M. Chu.

The log-awaited movie sequel to Crazy Rich Asians is moving forward.

It has been four years since the critically acclaimed movie busted opened the eyes of Hollywood studios. The groundbreaking movie featured an all-Asian and  Asian American cast proving that a white hero is not necessary for a film to succeed at the box office and among critics.

Director Jon M. Chu will return to helm the sequels, which he said earlier that he would shoot the second and third book at the same time.

Based on the second book of the trilogy, "China Rich Girlfriend," will bring back Constance Wu and Henry Golding whose relationship was the centerpiece of the first film.

The second book also examines on the romantic entanglements of Astrid Leong, played by Gemma Chan. 

One of the reasons for the long delay was a pay dispute wherein writer Adele Lim was reportedly earning one-tenth the salary of fellow writer Peter Chiarelli. Chiarelli offered to cut his pay in order to make the pay more equitable but Lim turned down the offer, which she called "generous."

Still miffed that the Warners didn't offer to resolve the pay disparity, even after Chu and cast members wrote in support of Lim's situation, Lim left the project and went on to write the screenplay for the animated Raya and the Last Dragon.

Finally, Anna Wang was brought in to replace Chiarelli and Lim. It will be Wang's first effort on a major feature-length film.

With the delay caused by the pay dispute, the actors went on to other projects. The first task by Chu will be to find a time when the in-demand cast members Golding, Chu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan and others will be available to film the second and third books, "Rich China Girlfriend" and "Rich People's Problems," written by Kevin Kwan.

With the success of Crazy Rich Asians, a slew of films with Asian American leads and themes were greenlighted by Hollywood Studios, many of them starring the cast of the movie.

Roles for the cast came rolling in. In the interim, Golding was particularly busy with leading roles in Last Christmas, The Gentlemen, Snake Eyes, Monsoon, and G.I. Joe.

Awkwafina starred in Shang Chi: The Legend of the 10 Rings, The Farewell, Oceans Eight, Raya and the Last Dragon, Jumanji: the Next Level and a TV sitcom, Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens.  

Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Ken Jeong, Sonoya Mmizuno, Jimmy O. Yang, Harry Sum Jr., Ronny Chieng, and Nico Santos also kept busy with their numerous projects.

No date has been set for filming or a general release of the sequel has been announced.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and tips, from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Debut of HBO's new reality show 'House of Ho' delayed

HBO

The cast of 'House of Ho.'

House of Ho, the reality show/docu-series about a Houston Vietnamese family has postponed the debut of the show that builds off the popularity of the ground-breaking 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians.

A new date has not been given though it may start in the fall. An HBO Max spokesperson said the network felt the series would be more suitable in the fall and holiday season.

House of Ho chronicles the life of the Bayou City extended family of entrepreneur Binh Ho and his wife Hue, has been moved from its announced July 16 start date. A new date has not been given though it may start in the fall. An HBO Max spokesperson said the network felt the series would be more suitable in the fall and holiday season.

HBO Max website describes the show: “House of Ho…chronicles the daily lives of patriarch Binh Ho, matriarch Hue Ho, their daughter Judy Ho, their son Washington Ho and his wife Lesley Ho, Aunt Tina, and Cousin Sammy. Power couple Binh and his wife Hue immigrated from Vietnam to the United States with little money, relying on hard work to establish the ultimate American dream. They have built a multi-million dollar bank, a real estate development company and a new generation of American Hos. The series pulls back the curtain of their lavish Houston lifestyle and showcases the tight family connections that unite them as well as the multi-generational outrageous drama that ensues.”

Jennifer O’Connell, executive vice president of original non-fiction and kids programming at HBO Max, said in a statement, “Rarely do you come across a family that is so rich in so many ways – not just in wealth, but in heart, traditions, and love for each other. There’s great pride in being a Ho and they are ready to give the world a seat at their luxurious table.”

Unfortunately, House of Ho will be part of the original programming offered on HBO Max, a subscription streaming service. That means the viewer has to pay extra to watch shows that used to be offered for free. It's the entertainment industry's nickel-and-diming the viewers, a practice that must stop if they are to retain audience interest.

The Houston-based show is the second reality series this year centering around an Asian American family. Family Karma, which just completed its first season on Bravo, followed four Indian families in South Florida.

The box office and critical success of Crazy Rich Asians has opened the doors for an increased interest in Asian-themed and Asian-led shows. House of Ho is debuting at a time of increased presence of Asian Americans in television in general with such shows as Never Have I Ever and comedian Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Games on Netflix and Awkwafina is Nora from Queens on Comedy Central. In addition, movies such as To All the Boys I Ever Loved (Parts 1 & 2),The Farewell and Tigertail are also available on Netflix.

While the selection of AAPI-led shows are more numerous since the success of Crazy RIch Asians and ABC's sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, which just wound up its final and seventh season, they are still a drop in the bucket in the context of the hundreds of products produced in Hollywood.

Henry Golding plays a man returning to Vietnam in 'Monsoon'

Henry Golding stars in the pensive 'Monsoon' where he travels to Vietnam.

Busy Henry Golding has hardly had time to breathe since he broke out into stardom with 2018's Crazy Rich Asians. The handsome Malaysian Brit is once again playing the romantic leading man in Monsoon, which should have its general release later this year.

In this movie, Golding is cast against type, as a gay man in a quest for his roots and identity. Golding  portrays lead character Kit as he returns his parents' ashes to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam for the first time since he was 6-years old when his family originally fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he's no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, love, and happiness, says the synopsis.

Monsoon is both written and directed by Cambodian-British filmmaker Hong Khaou, director of the film. The film originally premiered at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival last year. and is supposed to premiere in the United Kingdom on May 1 but may be delayed because of the impact of the coronavirus. The US release will be sometime later this year. 

Since Crazy Rich Asians, Golding has been cast in A Simple Favor opposite Flake Lively and Anna Kendrick, the romantic comedy Last Christmas with Emilia Clarke, spy thriller The Gentleman where he is the bad guy, and actioner G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes, where he plays the title character in the third installment of the franchise. which is due to be released in October of this year.

The suave Golding has also been named frequently as a possible candidate to succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond after Craig retires from the lucrative franchise after three movies.

In addition, the second and third movies of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy is supposed to be filmed in 2021.

TGIF Feature: John Chu denies Brenda Song allegation that she wasn't Asian enough for 'Crazy Rich Asians'

ASAM NEWS

It was one quote in a long article about the career of Brenda Song, the woman dubbed the original Crazy Rich Asian for her role as London Tippin in the Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
In a profile in Teen Vogue, buried deep in the article, Song mentions her heart break when she said she couldn’t get an audition for the landmark film, Crazy Rich Asians.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but I never got to read for Crazy Rich Asians, ever,” she said to Teen Vogue. “Their reasoning behind that, what they said was that my image was basically not Asian enough, in not so many words. It broke my heart,” she says. “I said, ‘This character is in her late to mid-20s, an Asian American, and I can’t even audition for it? I’ve auditioned for Caucasian roles my entire career, but this specific role, you’re not going to let me do it? You’re going to fault me for having worked my whole life?’ I was like, ‘Where do I fit?’”

That quote was picked up by numerous publications including USA Today and Entertainment Weekly. Song’s disappointment had such an impact that director Jon Chu felt compelled to comment about it on social media.

Chuas said that’s not how it happened.



Chu followed up by explaining why Song didn’t get an audition. He said it wasn’t necessary because he’s already a fan and well aware of her work.

Song is half Thai and half Hmong. Her mom is Thai, but adopted into a Hmong family. So Song says she was raised primarily Hmong.

She told Teen Vogue she’s always been proud of where she came from even if her friends didn’t always understand. Song, to many Asian Americans, is remembered as the first Asian they ever saw on TV.

Currently, she’s part of an ensemble cast that includes Shay Mitchell and Kat Denning on Hulu’s Dollface.

In Hollywood, the box office success encourages inclusion & diversityi

GRAPHIC BY E!ONLINE

A new report tying movie-going audiences with film content concludes: Representation matters.

Hollywood decision-makers are finally coming around to the idea that America is a lot more complex, interesting and colorful than the white world it has been depicting. And surprise, surprise, making movies with diverse ideas and actors can make money.

The box office success of movies like Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians forces the entertainment industry's studio heads and producers to rethink their old biases and acknowledge that people of color make up a substantial part of their audience.

"Today’s consumer has countless entertainment options, making it easier than ever for diverse audiences to find content that speaks to their tastes and experiences," said Chief Commercial Officer and President of Movio Media Craig Jones. "If cinema is to remain relevant and continue having a cultural impact, it must attract these audiences by delivering more representative content.

Movio, a film industry marketing and data firm, on Thursday (Oct. 24) recently released a white paper, "The Diversity Demand: Securing the Future of Moviegoing," examines how theatrical audience composition correlates to increased representation on screen, and if this suggests an opportunity to drive box office by producing content representative of audiences that have historically been underrepresented in film.

The analysis confirms a correlation between a minority group’s representation on screen and that group’s audience turnout, with some groups attending in numbers at more than twice the usual rate. The research also shows that increased representation of minority groups on screen can influence less engaged moviegoers within that demographic cohort to attend the theater.

TWITTER / JON CHU

The casts of 'Black kPanther' and 'Crazy Rich Asians' got together at the 2018 Academy Awards.

As a cursory analysis, Movio selected several pairs of theatrically released films which would generally be considered “similar” in terms of both genre and budget. For each pair, one film featured an underrepresented lead or co-lead and the other film did not. The audience composition of each film was then analyzed by Movio’s data science team. Some highlights include:

• The audience for Pixar’s Coco was nearly 75% more Latinx than the audience for another Pixar hit, Incredibles 2.
• Horror hit Us brought out an audience that was nearly 100% more African American or Black than the audience that attended similar title, A Quiet Place.
• Analyzing a trio of similar Romantic Comedy titles, the research found Crazy Rich Asians attracted an audience that was 186% more Asian and What Men Want attracted an audience that was 296% more African American or Black than the audience that attended Isn’t It Romantic.
• Crazy Rich Asians also brought in a significantly higher share of First Time, Infrequent, and Occasional Asian moviegoers than any other ethnic cohort.
• Comparing DC superhero hits Wonder Woman and Aquaman, the analysis shows the female led superhero title did not significantly alter the demographic profile of the audience in attendance, as both titles attracted an audience that was 40-41% female. Considering Hollywood’s longstanding hesitation to release a female-led superhero movie, the “absence of underperformance” within a certain audience group (male moviegoers, in this case) may be as meaningful as a title’s overperformance with another.
• Mega Blockbuster hit Black Panther attracted an audience that was 38% more African American or Black than Avengers: Infinity War. This is huge in absolute terms, with 40.7% of all Black U.S. moviegoers attending Black Panther.

“Movio’s ability to tie ticket purchases to individual moviegoers enables us to decipher the drivers of collective moviegoing behavior and to analyze attendance trends within demographic groups,” says Jones, who will discuss the White Paper findings during his appearance at the upcoming New York Film Conference this Tuesday, (Oct. 29).

Download the full white paper here.

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Crazy Rich Asians director supports script writer's protest

Director Jon Chu, left, supports Adele Lim's decision to reject co-writing sequels to 'Crazy Rich Asians'

A week after the new broke that the Crazy Rich Asians movie's co-writer, Adele Lim, had decided to not write the sequels because of a huge 10-1 pay disparity, CRA director Jon M. Chu wrote a lengthy tweet in support of her decision.

“For those of you who are asking, you bet your a— I stand with Adele!” Chu wrote. “I believed in her before we ever shot the movie and believe in her beyond. As many of you can imagine, negotiations are tough and more often than not messy — no matter who you are in this industry.”

Chu, 39, went on to explain that a second offer was made to the Malaysian American writer but by that time, Lim had moved on to other projects and ultimately rejected the offer that was reportedly fairer.

On Sunday, Lim made it clear that she remains personally close to the Chu, the cast and crew of the ground-breaking film. Close friendships developed among many members of the cast and crew because they rallied around the common cause of Asian and Asian American representation and inclusion in the Hollywood studio culture.

When CRA first showed success at the box office and was praised by critics, Chu said, "It's more than a movie. It's a movement."

So it was surprising that the CRA cast, crew and producers didn't rally around Lim's cause. Monday, Chu tweeted his message in response to the controversy:

Shortly thereafter, actress Gemma Chan joined in and retweeted Chu's post. "Pay disparity disproportinately affects women and POC and there is still a long way to go ..." Chan wrote.

Breakout actress, Awkwafina, also tweeted out her support:

Lim rejected the first offer which was about one-tenth of the $1-million offered to co-writer Pete Chiarella. After he leaerned of the pay disparity, Chiarella reportedly agreed to give up some of his pay in order to lessen the pay gap.

However, by that time, Lim had moved on. She signed a four-year deal with Disney and was already working on the animated tale of Raya and the Last Dragon based on a Southeast Asian myth.  Filipina Canadian actress Cassandra Steele and Awkwafina will be doing the voices of the main characters. The film is set to be released in November 2020.

Chu ended his tweet by saying that the door remains open for Lim to return to CRA's sequels with the hope that the contract dispute did not reflect their professional and personal relationship.

Chu concluded: “That said, the door is always open for Adele and if there’s another shot at making it work I know we are all for it but that’s a personal and private conversation between ourselves. In the meantime, thank you for being loud, thank you for caring and your support. More to do. More to say. More to learn.”

UPDATED: Sept. 10, 4 p.m. PDT to include Awkwafina's comment.

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Screenplay writer leaves 'Crazy Rich Asians' sequels

Screenplay writer Adele Lim will not be working on the Crazy Rich Asians sequels.

A treatment for the sequels to Crazy Rich Asians has reportedly been handed over to the studios, but it doesn't involve Adele Lim, who co-wrote the CRA screenplay with Peter Chiarelli.

Lim has withdrawn from the project over the issue of pay disparity, according to The Hollywood Reporter. For the CRA sequels, Chiarelli was reportedly being paid about $1-million and Lim was offered about one-tenth of that sum.

"Being evaluated that way can't help but make you feel that is how they view my contributions," Lim tells the Hollywood Reporter.

Warner Brothers hired Chiarelli to adapt Keven Kwan's first book into a movie. Malaysia-born Lim was added to the writing team to make sure the script adhered to cultural correctness since the movie takes place in Singapore and significantly, has an all-Asian cast.

The Hollywood Reporter says that Warner Bros. searched for another Asian or Asian American writer to replace Lim but finally offered Lim a new contract more cloasely aligned with Chiarelli.

Chiarelli reportedly offered to share part of his salary to even out the disparity but Lim rejected to offer.

"Pete has been nothing but incredibly gracious, but what I make shouldn't be dependent on the generosity of the white-guy writer," Lim tells THR. "If I couldn't get pay equity after CRA, I can't imagine what it would be like for anyone else, given that the standard for how much you're worth is having established quotes from previous movies, which women of color would never have been [hired for]. There's no realistic way to achieve true equity that way."

Writing fees are usually based on previous credits. Chiarelli had written several movie screenplays but Lim's previous credits have been for television.

For now, Chiarelli is working with director Jon Chu in adapting the next two books in Kwan's trilogy for the movie sequels that will be filmed concurrently. Chu was not involved in the contract dispute with Lim, reports THR. They have reportedly gave Warner Bros. a 10-page treatment for the upcoming project.

Lim has also moved on. She has signed a four-year deal with Disney. Her first project is writing the screenplay for the animated story of Raya and the Last Dragon, based on a Southeast Asian myth.

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Love rom-com movies with a racially mixed cast?

Cosmopolitan's cover says it all: "Hollywood just got hotter," referencing Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton, the costars of The Sun Is Also A Star. It would be hard to find a more attractive couple.

Are you hooked on rom-coms and can't wait for Henry Golding as the leading man in Last Christmas or the sequel of the ground-breaking Crazy Rich Asians? Perhaps The Sun is Also A Star, which hits theaters May 17, will satisfy that void in your life.

“What if I told you I could get you to fall in love with me…?” asks the The Sun's character Daniel Bae, played by Melton. College-bound romantic Daniel Bae and Jamaica-born pragmatist Natasha Kingsley meet—and fall for each other—over one magical day amidst the fervor and flurry of New York City. Sparks immediately fly between these two strangers, who might never have met had fate not given them a little push. But will fate be enough to take these teens from star-crossed to lucky in love?

With just hours left on the clock in what looks to be her last day in the U.S., Natasha is fighting against her family’s deportation as fiercely as she’s fighting her budding feelings for Daniel, who is working just as hard to convince her they are destined to be together. A modern-day story about finding love against all odds, The Sun Is Also a Star explores whether our lives are determined by fate or the random events of the universe. The film stars Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish) as Natasha and Charles Melton (Riverdale) as Daniel.

“Being an Asian-American lead for a studio film — it almost seems like it’s not real for me, you know?” Melton says in Cosmopolitan‘s May cover story. The Korean American actor says it’s been “very emotional” to be cast as the leading man in the movie, especially opposite Shahidi, who is also bringing diversity and representation to the screen. “Yara is Iranian and black. It’s very surreal,” 

Melton adds, “Growing up, I never saw anybody who looked like me, really,” he says of  the groundbreaking Crazy Rich Asians, which featured an all-Asian cast. “I cried seven times. It was just so emotional. Everyone was of Asian descent, and I was like, Wow.”

Like Golding, Melton is another strong argument against the old Hollywood belief that says audiences don't like Asian men in romantic situations. Directed by Ry Russo-Young (“Before I Fall”), the The Sun is Also A Star is based on the acclaimed bestseller by author Nicola Yoon. The book was No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and has received multiple accolades, including: 2016 National Book Award Finalist; Amazon’s Best Book of 2016 in YA; Amazon’s Top 20 Children’s Books of 2016 in YA; the New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2016; and Entertainment Weekly’s 10 Best Books of 2016.

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Allure: Gemma Chan tries 9 things she's never done before

The fashion and beauty magazine Allure is featuring Gemma Chan on its April, 2019 cover. The article shows that the British Asian  actress is more than a pretty face in her comments about "whitewashing," "yellowface" and telling the truth in history.

Also accompanying the online article is this video, which we present for you -- hell, just for the fun of it.

More behind-the-scenes thinking that went behind the Gemma Chan cover and Allure's Asian American editor-in-chief, can be found here.

For more on Gemma Chan as a rising star: from playing a robot to becoming a Marvel superhero, click here.

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Gemma Chan: From fasion icon to Marvel superhero

Actress Gemma Chan in real life and as Minn-Erva.

I'm going to go out on the limb and predict that this will be a big year for rising actress Gemma Chan.

That's supposed to be read as an understatement.

Gemma Chan, who starred in BBC's Humans, was not widely known outside of sci-fi nerdom. Hollywood really began to notice her with her breakout role in Crazy Rich Asians as the rich and stunning, (but nice), cousin of Nick Young, the male romantic lead.

The first role she took on after playing the beautiful Astrid Teo, who was always perfectly coiffed, wore the most expensive (but, tasteful) jewelry and always looked like she stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine, will be in a spandex suit in her next big film ... and she'll be blue. I mean, really: her skin is blue.

Chan is taking on the role of Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel, which debuts this weekend. 

“It’s not great for your skin,” Chan said. “My skin was starting to react towards the end of the shoot. Your skin’s just not meant to be under four layers of airbrush paint and the prosthetics. And yeah, you do start to react to it. It’s not ideal."

Minn-Erva is a Kree, just like Guardians of the Galaxy's Ronan the Accuser (played by Lee Pace, who is reprising his role in the movie). She is an extremely bright geneticist who, in the comics, ends up with Captain Marvel-like powers after she comes to Earth and disguises herself as "Doctor Minerva" and proceeds to mess around with Captain Mar-Vell's genes in a lab. She thinks his genetic code might unlock new potentials for the diminishing Kree race.

"I had just under three months to prepare for the role," she told Screenrant. "So I started training straight away and I started doing some kickboxing and boxing. So you have to do the fight scenes and did the choreography. And I went to sniper school and learn how to use various different weapons and did lots of drills and then I have to crawl whilst holding a rifle and all of that kind of thing. And it was good. It was really, it's always a bonus I think we can get to learn a new skill as part of your job. It's, you know, something you wouldn't normally do in your everyday life."

 “Astrid is a very refined, sophisticated character, so it was fun to play a character that was a bit less nice,” Chan tells Popsugar, adding that she practiced kickboxing exercises in preparation for the highly physical role of Minn-Erva. “There are some great action sequences in (Captain Marvel). The character "is a badass. She’s a sniper and a warrior. She doesn’t suffer any fools. She was really good fun to play.”

Fans will probably be clamoring for more of Minn-Erva in future Marvel productions after being introduced to this complex character.

When she's not busy saving the world from aliens, you can probably find Chan on red carpets and magazine covers. A former model, she is gaining quite a reputation as a fashion maven and she always looks striking. On the press tours and the awards shows circuit, her fashion choices have been killing it.

SHENEWS GRAPHIC / GETTY IMAGES

BAZAAR

On her worldwide press tour for CRA, Chan’s dazzling outfits by Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung, Simone Rocha, Altuzarra, Oscar de la Renta and others instantly transformed her into a fashion icon.

She personified Hollywood glamor with her her gowns at the SAG, Critics' Choice, Golden Globes and the Oscars. "This is Valentino," Chan said of the dress, complete with pockets. "Dresses with pockets, eh?"

Oscar night: Who needs clumsy purses when you've got pockets in this creation by Valentino.

Flipping through the fashion mags, one wonders, does she ever wear the same dress twice?

"The looks I wore did get a lot of coverage. I really enjoyed putting them together with my stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray. We put an emphasis on Asian creativity,” she told the New York Post.

In the meantime, you can also catch the busy actress in the most unlikeliest of genre's (even more unlikely than her blue appearance in a Marvel blockbuster?) - British period films. She plays Bess of Hardwick, the closest female confidante of Elizabeth I (played by Margot Robbie) in the historical drama film Mary Queen of Scots.

She is also starring in Mr. Malcolm's List. Set in early 1800s England, a young lady (Chan) engages in courtship with a mysterious wealthy suitor, Mr. Malcolm, unaware of his unattainable list of demands for his future wife. 

A short film (watch below) was posted on Refinery29.com in February. It will be expanded to a full length feature which will also star Chan along with Ferida Pinto.

The 36-year old actress finally scored her first starring movie role in Intrigo: Dear Agnes, due out later this year. She plays a woman who sets up the murder of her husband in the adaption of a Swedish crime novel directed by Daniel Alfredson, who made two of the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo films.

And then there's China Rich Girlfriend, the sequel to Crazy Rich Asians, which is cheduled to start filming in China in 2020. The story, based on the second book of the Kevin Kwan trilogy, will focus on Astrid's pursuit of happiness and her true love. 

CRA fans will remember towards the end of the movie, mid-credits, which features a look between Astrid and a handsome mystery gentleman. Readers of the books will know who he is, but I won't spoil things for you except that Astrid's story will be more prominent.

Hollywood is changing for Asian actors and the cast of CRA is one of the reasons. And the way the movie industry is embracing the Asian Brit spells out a bright future. “You know, I don’t feel that different,” Chan tells the NY Post. “But other people are treating me differently. The response was beyond what any of us would have hoped. I’m glad the door’s been kicked open for more Asian stories — I hope it’s not a passing trend.”
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In case you missed it: Scenes from the Oscars

SCREEN CAPTURE

Ashley Graham, Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet on the Red Carpet of the Oscars.

Thanks to Crazy Rich Asians' success and the #OscarsSoWhite movement, there were more Asians seen at the Academy Awards Sunday night. 

RELATED: Asian and Asian American Oscar winners.

Here are some additional notes from the Academy Awards that you might not have seen answers why Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu wore a yellow gown, the most embarassing question of the night, and how director Jon M. Chu saw the evening.

Let's get straight to the embarrassing question first. Model Ashley Graham was interviewing Jason Momoa and his wife Lisa Bonet and things were going great until Graham asked Momoa to perform a "haka move."

The Aquaman star was taken aback and looked to his wife as if to ask, "Really? Did she just ask me to do a haka?"

The haka is a Maori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield to intimidate the enemy, as well as when groups came together as a gesture of greeting or honor.

At the premiere of Aquaman, Momoa did perform a haka with Maori members of the cast because the film used a lot of Maori elements. Other Polynesian groups have adopted the  tradition and adapted it to their culture. The haka was a way for the Maori cast members to launch the movie. Momoa is of Hawaiian descent.

“I gotta get a haka move,” Graham asked Momoa.

“I gotta get like one haka move, like come on,” she continued insisted, as Momoa had that moment of disbelief.

However, Bonet was not having it. She was seen putting her hand up and shaking her head in as if to say it was not appropriate.

Good sport Momoa eventually gave in and gave a half-hearted haka face with his tongue stuck out. By then the interview was over and Bonet pulled on Momoa and was seen giving an eye-roll at the ignorant request from Graham.

The Internet didn't take kindly to the insensitivity of the moment.

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Constance Wu look smashing in her yellow gown. Her choice of color wasn't just to stand out from the crowd. She wanted to make a statement based on the moving letter CRA director Jon M. Chu wrote to Cold Play for the permission of using their song "Yellow" for the movie.

She wrote in an Instagram post:

"I chose this color because it made me happy and also was inspired by @jonmchu‘s moving letter to @coldplay about our movie’s closing song cover of “Yellow” in @crazyrichasians,"

Chu asked the band Cold Play why the song Yellow meant so much to him because while growing up, "yellow" was used as a racist slur to demean East Asians. But, upon hearing the song "Yellow" it was the first time the color was associated with beauty.

"For the first time in my life, it described the color in the most beautiful, magical ways I had ever heard: the color of the stars, her skin, the love. It was an incredible image of attraction and aspiration that it made me rethink my own self image," the letter continued. It immediately became an anthem for me and my friends and gave us a new sense of pride we never felt before. We could reclaim the color for ourselves and it has stuck with me for the majority of my life," Chu added.

Cold Play immediately gave permission for the song's use in the film. It was at the end of the movie as the credits rolled and sung in Mandarin by Katherine Ho.

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Speaking Jon M. Chu ... here are some posts from the Chinese American director, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan and Constance Wu taken at the awards ceremony or immediately after.

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