South Korean bestseller A Thousand Blues inks six-figure film deal with Warner Bros
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A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran.
PHOTOS: SEONRANN/INSTAGRAM, DOUBLEDAYUKBOOKS/INSTAGRAM
SEOUL – South Korean author Cheon Seon-ran’s heartwarming science-fiction novel A Thousand Blues is headed for the big screen in the United States.
Hubble, the literary imprint of Seoul-based East-Asia Publishing, said on May 10 that it had signed a six-figure film adaptation deal with Warner Bros Pictures, and that the book is “now on track to meet a global audience on screen”.
The Hollywood studio behind blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter (2001 to 2011) and Dune (2021 to present) is said to have been drawn to A Thousand Blues’ “original and compelling” storytelling.
Directors including Celine Song (Past Lives, 2023), Greta Gerwig (Barbie, 2023) and Alfonso Cuaron (Roma, 2018) are among the candidates being considered for the adaptation, according to the publisher.
Set in 2035, A Thousand Blues imagines a near future where humanoid robots have become part of everyday life. At its heart is the story of Collie, a humanoid jockey, and its racehorse, Today. Both are nearing the end of their usefulness as Today faces euthanasia due to failing joints.
Their journey towards an uncertain future becomes entwined with that of a mother and her two daughters, who step in to help. The novel explores themes of grief and healing and what it means to slow down in a world obsessed with speed and performance.
First published in 2020, A Thousand Blues won the Grand Prize at the 4th Korea Sci-Fi Literature Award and became a runaway bestseller, with more than 200,000 copies sold in South Korea to date.
The translation rights have been sold to more than 10 countries and regions, with recent publications in Japan, Germany, China and the United Kingdom.
A Thousand Blues was also adapted for the stage – produced as a play by the National Theatre Company of Korea and as a musical by the Seoul Performing Arts Company in 2024.
Cheon, 32, who holds a master’s degree in creative writing from Dankook University in South Korea, made her debut with Broken Bridge in 2019. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
