‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Adds Michelle Yeoh (Exclusive)

Michelle Yeoh will join Constance Wu in Warner Bros.’ adaptation Crazy Rich Asians.

Jon M. Chu is directing the adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s New York Times best-selling novel, which centers on the lives of wealthy Chinese families living in Singapore. It follows Rachel Chu (Wu), an American-born Chinese economics professor, who travels to her boyfriend Nick’s hometown of Singapore for his best friend’s wedding. Before long, his secret is out: Nick is from a family that is impossibly wealthy, he’s perhaps the most eligible bachelor in Asia, and every single woman in his ultra-rarefied social class is incredibly jealous of Rachel and wants to bring her down.

Yeoh will play Eleanor Young, Nick’s controlling mother who disapproves of Rachel.

Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson as well as Ivanhoe president John Penotti are producing. Kwan will serve as executive producer along with Ivanhoe chairman Robert Friedland. Courtenay Valenti and Jon Gonda will oversee the project for Warner Bros.

The film, which will feature an all-Asian cast, has a screenplay written by Peter Chiarelli (The Proposal) and Adele Lim (TV series Lethal Weapon)

Yeoh, who is Chinese Malaysian, is an international star, having found success in both foreign films and American movies. She rose to fame through her work in action films and then starred in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and the Chinese-language martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Her recent credits include sci-fi film Morgan and actioner Mechanic: Resurrection.

Upcoming, she has a reoccurring role on Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman’s new series Star Trek: Discovery, which will air on CBS All Access. She is repped by Three Six Zero Group.

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