Awkwafina Says Making 'Crazy Rich Asians' Sequel Would Be 'So Meaningful' for Cast: 'Like My Family'

Efforts to make a follow-up to 2018's Crazy Rich Asians have been in the works for years

Awkwafina says her Crazy Rich Asians costars are "like my family" as fans eagerly anticipate a sequel to the 2018 smash hit movie.

As Awkwafina — real name Nora Lum — appeared on Good Morning America Monday to discuss her voice role as Scuttle in Disney's new Little Mermaid movie, the actress said she understands a Crazy Rich Asians sequel is still "being hashed out."

"I know, that's what I told them. I was like, 'Where is it?' " she said, when asked by Michael Strahan about the reported sequel's status. "I do believe that — when, I have no idea. I think it's being hashed out."

"It would be so meaningful [to make a sequel]. They're like my family, and at this point it's been so long," she added. "We would love to all get back together."

Follow-ups to the 2018 Jon M. Chu-directed romantic comedy, in which Awkwafina played Peik Lin Goh, have been in the works for years.

Related:Jon M. Chu 'Stands with' Crazy Rich Asians Co-Writer Who Left Sequel Due to Pay Parity Dispute

Adele Lim, the screenwriter who co-wrote the original film's script with Peter Chiarelli, dropped out of working on the sequel in 2019 after a dispute with Warner Bros.

Last year, Deadline reported that both a Crazy Rich Asians sequel and a spinoff centering around Astrid Leong-Teo (Gemma Chan) and Charlie Wu (Harry Shum Jr.) were in early development at the studio. Both projects were reported to be based on the second book in author Kevin Kwan's trilogy of novels, China Rich Girlfriend.

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The book follows central characters from the original Crazy Rich Asians novel, Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick (Henry Golding), as they head to China to find her father, while also following a romance between Astrid and Charlie teased in a mid-credits scene within the 2018 original.

Golding, 36, previously told E! News in March 2022 that a follow-up to the movie would arrive "hopefully sooner than later."

"I always bug [director Chu] about it and he tells him the same thing every time: They're trying to figure out the writing," he said at the time. "I know they're working on it, but hopefully sooner than later."

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"[I] can't wait to get back to Singapore," he added at the time.

Crazy Rich Asians proved a box office hit in 2018 after it made $238 million worldwide against its $30 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. Awkwafina herself has touted the film's wider cultural impact, telling Harper's BAZAAR in 2019 that the film helped "open the door" for further Asian representation in the movie industry.

"Asian-American actors have told me that before Crazy Rich Asians they couldn't get one audition," she explained at the time. "Now they're getting tons."

Awkwafina's new movie The Little Mermaid is in theaters May 26.

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