Crazy Rich Asians sequel may be called Shanghai Rich Girlfriends

The groundbreaking and extraordinary successful Hollywood rom-com Crazy Rich Asians looks certain to get a sequel, however, if one Chinese investor has her way, the film’s title will differ somewhat from the book on which it will be based.

“The sequel will truly come to China, and it has to reflect the new money. The first movie is about old money, the sequel is about new money,” Liu Yang, the head of the private equity fund China Cultural and Entertainment Fund (CCEF), told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview. CCEF is the major backer of SK Global, the film’s producer.

“The sequel has to link to the fresh power in China, the new consumption, the new ideas. We may even rename it Shanghai Rich Girlfriends,” Liu added.

Crazy Rich Asians was based on the 2013 best-selling novel of the same name by Singaporean-American author Kevin Kwan. The novel’s success spawned two sequels, the first of which is called China Rich Girlfriend and partly takes place in China. The title comes from one exchange between characters in the book, which goes: “These people aren’t just everyday rich with a few hundred million… They are China rich!”

While Liu says that she took only a “passive role” in the making of Crazy Rich Asians because she “was not very interested” in Singapore, where the film is set, she claims that John Penotti, president of SK Global, has agreed that she should be “heavily involved” in the sequel, starting right from the conception of the screenplay.

Liu told SCMP that she wants to use the sequel to introduce the world to the current generation of Chinese young people, properly reflecting the things that they care about: “electronics, the internet, artificial intelligence and e-sports.”

Liu Yang. [SCMP]

While Crazy Rich Asians has been a phenomenal box office success, taking in more than $130 million on a budget of just $30 million, it still has not been released in China, and it’s not certain if it ever will be. Each year, China only allows a certain number of foreign movies to be shown in Chinese theaters and censors technically frown upon ostentatious displays of wealth.

If Crazy Rich Asians doesn’t manage to gain approval from China’s State Administration of Radio and Television, it would seem that a film titled “China Rich Girlfriend” or “Shanghai Rich Girlfriends” will be an even tougher sell.

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