A THOUSAND BLUES signs six-figure Hollywood film deal

A Thousand Blues, an award-winning sci-fi novel is headed for the big screen.

The Korea Herald reports that A Thousand Blues, the award-winning debut novel by Cheon Seon-ran, is getting a Hollywood film adaptation. Warner Bros. signed a deal on May 10 to acquire the rights, offering between 600 million and 700 million won (approximately $440,000 to $510,000). The studio was drawn in by the novel’s storyline, which ultimately led to the offer.

Hubble, the literary imprint of East-Asia Publishing in Seoul, confirmed the news and noted that several high-profile directors are under consideration for the project, including Celine Song (Past Lives), Greta Gerwig (Barbie), and Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity).

A Thousand Blues won the Grand Prize at the fourth Korea Science Fiction Awards and has become a bestseller in South Korea. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism named Cheon Seon-ran the 2024 Young Artist of the Year. Translation rights have been sold in over 10 countries. In the U.S., Doubleday holds the publishing rights, with Chi-Young Kim translating the novel.

“It’s only when we slow down that we can truly experience joy…“

Penguin Random House provides this synopsis:

2035: In the shadow of a race-course, two sisters grow up, helping their mother at the local cafe that serves renowned ramen. Family life is fractious especially when one of them loses their day-job to an automaton.

When the sisters discover their beloved race-horse Today is being sent to the knacker’s yard after a lifetime of over-racing, they are determined to rescue her.

To remind Today of happier times, they hatch a plan to let her run one last race. But it will be no ordinary event.

They will train her to run the slowest race of her life.

In addition to its upcoming film adaptation, A Thousand Blues has also inspired a stage play and a musical.

Source: Korea Herald, Korea JoongAng Daily