Gemma Chan and Harry Shum Jr. to Lead Crazy Rich Asians Spinoff in Works at Warner Bros.: Report

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The Crazy Rich Asians universe is expanding.

A spinoff of the 2018 romantic comedy is in early development at Warner Bros. and will focus on a new love story between Nick's cousin Astrid Leong-Teo (Gemma Chan) and Charlie Wu (Harry Shum Jr.), according to Deadline.

A rep for Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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Based on Kevin Kwan's second book in the series, China Rich Girlfriend, the film will follow the romance between Astrid and her first love Charlie, to whom she was previously engaged until her parents broke them up as they didn't see him as a suitable partner.

The studio reportedly jumped on the project after a pitch from writer Jason Kim (Girls, Barry), who will pen the spinoff.

Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros.

Although he was intended for a larger role in the movie, Shum Jr., 40, appeared in a mid-credits scene of Crazy Rich Asians, his character reuniting with Astrid at Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick's (Henry Golding) engagement party.

Astrid left her husband Michael (Pierre Png) earlier in the movie after finding out he was having an affair. In the book, Charlie helped her investigate Michael's infidelity, and although they filmed more with Shum Jr. than what made it into the movie, Director Jon M. Chu previously explained to Entertainment Weekly why they had to cut their storyline down.

"What we put in the movie was great — they actually dance together — and it was so awesome, and Harry's so charming and so lovable," Chu, 42, said in 2018. "But the problem was, it made Astrid feel like she was leaving Michael for Charlie, and we didn't have enough room to expand on the idea. We just had to stay focused. Ultimately it's about her independence, so that scene was in there all the way until the very end. When we took it out, Astrid's journey became stronger. It was about her, not about her finding love."

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In addition to the spinoff, a Crazy Rich Asians sequel is still in the works, also based on the second book in the series. With Chu returning to direct, it will follow Rachel and Nick to Shanghai, where they search for her father.

Chan previously shared her excitement with PEOPLE about returning for another installment in the franchise, which has grossed nearly $239 million at global box offices.

"I can't wait. There's so much amazing material in Kevin's books, they could go any kind of way they want to, really," she said in 2019. "So yeah, if they want to delve into Astrid's parishes, I'm not averse to shooting in Paris for a bit."