Crazy Rich Asians Casting

So I caught the CRA bug even though nobody I know was reading it, it just kept popping out on all the websites that I visit. Once I started reading I couldn't put my kindle down, I couldn't work because I get so antsy wanting to know what came next. The book is like a Dan Brown novel, it certainly is a page turner. Nakulangan lang ako sa ending, I was like "yun na yun?!?!?" the author left it open for the readers to infer on how things were gonna go down.

As the title suggests, the book is about the super rich in Asia. Being a student of Mandarin, I get the distinction that Overseas Chinese make with the Mainlanders. It is set mostly in Singapore, where the family of the main protagonist resides. It's a very Asian thing that I lot of us Filipinos get even though we're not of Chinese descent. I love that author infused Hokkien and even Malay expressions in the book (Hokkien is spoken here in the Philippines).

Anyway, the book has been picked up by the same company that made the Hunger Games into movies. A lot of speculation has been happening online on who they might cast in the movie. Limited lang naman ang knowledge ko of the Chinese and Hongkong movie stars, but the actors must be fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and sometimes Hokkien and Bahasa. These are my picks.

Let's start with Nicholas Young, my pick would be Godfrey Gao. Nick Young comes from an extremely wealthy family, as any protagonist in any story it's a requirement that looks very much like a movie star. He's an intellectual having completed advanced studies in Oxford and teaches History in NYU.

Godfrey Gao in Burberry

I would cast Zhang Ziyi for the role of Astrid Leong, who else can carry couture dresses with ease than Ziyi? In the book, Astrid is a very sophisticated woman who goes on couture fittings every Paris Fashion Week, she also splurges on jewelry whenever she has a problem. 

Zhang Ziyi as Astrid Leong

Takeshi Kaneshiro for Michael Teo, although he would need to bulk up.

Takeshi Kaneshiro as Michael Teo

Angela Baby would be the perfect Araminta, although I would also consider Olga Kurylenko because in the book Araminta has certain Eurasion features because her mother came from Xinjiang.

Angela baby

Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko

Tony Leung for Philip Young, Nick's father. Tony Leung has been a favorite of mine ever since I saw that Zhang Yimou movie Hero.

Gong Li should be Eleanor Young.

Gong Li

Colin Khoo, Nick's best friend is said to be the most eligible bachelor in all of Singapore and is also extremely good looking, I thought of Daniel Henney kaso the book also describes him to be very tan almost like a surfer's complexion naisip ko naman si Wang Leehong who's on a darker side. He's also perfect because he seems to be very deep. 

Wang Leehom

Michelle Yeoh is just so regal I can't help but associate her with Shang SuYi, Nick's aristocratic grandmother. She's too young to play the grandmother role to a 30 year old, yun lang.

Michelle Yeoh

Kerry Chu is Rachel's mother, she came to America to raise Rachel on her own. I would cast Ming Nawen, Joy Luck Club diba?

  

Siwon Choi although Korean looks very much Chinese, I would cast him as Alistair Young the Hongkong movie star.

Siwon as Alistair

 I can't think of anyone pa for Rachel Chu, I have a bevy of other stars that I want to see in the film adaptation hehe.