Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat
Author Talk: Kevin Kwan, "Lies and Weddings" | Global Conference 2025
- Curtis expects Kevin Kwan to return to the Milken Institute global conference stage within five to six years, asserting he is the only fiction author capable of delivering a substantive session rather than mere entertainment.
- Kevin Kwan predicts a Crazy Rich Asians movie spin-off is imminent alongside an HBO Max premium TV series based on the first three books, which will likely feature the original cast with some variations.
- A Broadway musical adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians is expected to launch in the next couple of years, with director John Chu slated to begin production immediately after finishing his work on Wicked.
- The second Crazy Rich Asians film is moving forward following delays caused by corporate mergers and the pandemic, while Henry Golding and Gemma Chan are currently discussing storylines in London.
- The new trilogy of books (Lies and Weddings and Sex and Vanity) focuses on Asians outside of Asia and the collision of East and West, with Lies and Weddings already purchased by a major studio for film adaptation.
- Sex and Vanity, a project inspired by A Room with a View and in development with Sony for a couple of years, is described as ready to proceed, alongside plans for a film adaptation set in the Philippines co-produced with Lawrence Bender.
- Kwan plans to adapt an old-fashioned narrative set in Hawaii involving a half-Asian son of a British duke, intending to use AI technology like drones and wireless microphones as plot devices similar to James Bond gadgets.
- Kwan intends to take time off to write a "radically different" new book in Hawaii after previously using ChatGPT for a single footnote two or three years ago during AI's "teething period."
- Future projects will include stories about the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia developed with authentic cultural collaborators, and a new script written during the pandemic.
- Kwan predicts a pent-up Hollywood demand for low-budget romantic comedies that yield high returns, noting Crazy Rich Asians remains the top movie screened on airplanes worldwide.
- Despite political backlash against DEI, Kwan expects momentum for diverse storytelling to continue, citing packed venues on tour and the success of the film Sinner with a primarily Black and Asian cast.
- Financing remains a critical barrier to diverse content, requiring investors to take risks on new projects rather than solely funding established franchises, a stance supported by Kwan's acceptance of a one-dollar fee for the original film.
- A key risk factor identified is the historical stagnation of sequels due to corporate restructuring and external events like the pandemic, though current plans indicate a shift toward active production.