A Crazy Rich Asians reunion didn’t happen in the list of this year’s Academy Awards nominations, much to the rightful dismay of fans, but there is one in the works for CBS. Author Kevin Kwan will co-write and executive produce a new multi-camera comedy pilot titled The Emperor Of Malibu, which will star Ken Jeong.
Jeong will return to broadcast comedy to play Gerry, a Chinese tech billionaire who disapproves of his son’s plan to marry an American woman. If the premise is already beginning to sound a little familiar, fear not. Instead of Michelle Yeoh dulcet-toned shade, we’ll get Gerry bringing the entire family to America in an effort to convince son Auggie to rethink his engagement. So…yay, inevitable wacky shenanigans?
It’s been a busy year for the comedian. Alongside Yeoh, Jeong was part of Crazy Rich Asians’ ensemble of heavy hitters, which also included Constance Wu, Henry Golding, and Gemma Chan. The history-making film grossed over $238 million at the global box office and nabbed a handful of nominations from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild. He also released his first stand up special on Netlix, You Complete Me, Ho, and sits as a judge on Fox’s surprising runaway hit, The Masked Singer. On top of all that, he’s still very much a doctor and even helped a seizing audience member at one of his stand up shows last May. We’re not sure if his medical expertise will come in handy this time around like it did for Dr. Ken, but anything is possible.
[Via Variety]