From an international continuation of a global hit to a Louisiana-set outlaw romance and a new legal drama rooted in New Hampshire, these three projects demonstrate how location can be an integral part of a production’s identity.
Crazy Rich Asians (Series)
The world of Crazy Rich Asians is expanding to television, with Max developing a new series based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling book series. Adele Lim, who co-wrote the 2018 feature film, is attached as writer, while original film director Jon M. Chu, producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, and Kwan are among the producers. The series is currently scheduled to begin filming in January 2027 in both New York City and Singapore.
The two-city production is particularly notable from a location perspective. New York provides the story’s connection to Rachel Chu and her life before Singapore, while returning to Singapore allows the series to retain the cultural and visual identity that made the original story distinctive. The 2018 film grossed more than $230 million worldwide, and the television project is based on Kwan’s larger three-book series, potentially giving the production a much broader canvas than the original film.
For New York’s production community, the project also arrives as the state continues to offer a 30% film production tax credit on qualified expenses, with additional incentives available under the state’s expanded production programs.
Hold On to Your Angels
South Louisiana will once again serve as a major character in a Benh Zeitlin film with Hold On to Your Angels, an upcoming romantic drama starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. Zeitlin, whose Beasts of the Southern Wild was also set in the Louisiana bayou, returns to the region for a story about a hell-bound outlaw and a shepherd of lost souls whose relationship unfolds against a disappearing Southern landscape. Production is scheduled to begin in February 2027.
The project reunites Mescal and Buckley following Hamnet, and comes from Plan B Entertainment and Alex Coco’s Rapt Film. The Veterans is handling international sales, with CAA Media Finance representing domestic rights. Zeitlin has described the film as an outlaw romance set on the “crumbling edge” of South Louisiana, making the region’s wetlands and disappearing landscapes central to the film rather than simply a backdrop.
For Louisiana, the production is another example of the state’s ability to attract projects for both its financial incentives and distinctive locations. Louisiana’s Motion Picture Production Program offers qualifying productions a base credit on in-state expenditures, with additional credits available for certain Louisiana-based productions and projects filming outside the New Orleans metropolitan area.
Katie Greaves
