Apple is turning Pachinko, a critically acclaimed novel that tells the story of a Korean family spanning four generations and three countries, into a TV show.
The news was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter and later confirmed by the book’s author, Min Jin Lee today (Aug. 8).
Pachinko, released last year, begins in Korea during the Japanese occupation of the peninsula in the 1910s, and follows the fate of a family as they move to Japan and live through World War II, with the fourth generation of the family eventually ending up in the US. The TV script will be adapted by Soo Hugh, who has worked on shows like The Terror, Under the Dome, and The Killing. It’s the latest major big-budget production to feature a majority Asian cast following the release of Crazy Rich Asians, also adapted from a novel, this year.
The show will be Apple’s third scripted TV series, after the company announced last year it had ordered a drama series featuring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and a reboot of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s anthology Amazing Series.