In a competitive situation, Apple has secured the rights to develop a series based in Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel “Pachinko,” Variety has confirmed.
“Pachinko” chronicles the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family. The story begins with a forbidden romance and crescendos into a sweeping saga that journeys between Korea, Japan and America.
The novel was featured by The New York Times as one of the “10 Best Books of 2017” and was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction.
Soo Hugh will write and executive produce the series in addition to serving as showrunner, with Lee also executive producing. Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res will produce.
Hugh was previously the showrunner on Season 1 of the AMC series “The Terror.” She also developed the ABC series “The Whispers.” Her other TV credits include “Under the Dome,” “The Killing,” and “The River.” She is repped by WME and McKuin Frankel.
This marks the second Media Res project set up at Apple, with the first being the upcoming morning show drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Apple has already given that project a two-season commitment.
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This is also the second globe-trotting international drama based on a book for Apple. The streamer previously optioned the book “Shantaram,” which tells the story of Lin, a man on the run from an Australian prison looking to get lost in the teeming city of Bombay.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the “Pachinko” news.
