Lee may be best known for her work in Celine Song’s Past Lives, but don’t expect another soft romantic drama this time around. Lee is also writing the screenplay, which she’s adapting from Monika Kim’s 2024 novel of the same name. Per THR, the book is described as “a story about a family falling apart as well as the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective. Set in Los Angeles, the book tells the story of a woman named Ji-won, whose life unravels after her father has an affair and then leaves the family. She finds an inventive way to satiate her rage and hunger.”
The word “inventive” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. The trade goes on to quote The New York Times‘ review of the novel, which writes that it “pulls readers into a horrific world of murder and cannibalism while also critiquing misogyny, exploring Asian fetishization and stereotypes, sharing what it’s like to navigate two cultures and telling a touching story of a family in turmoil.”
That’s a lot to take on for a directorial debut, but Lee has a good team behind her. Matt Jackson and Joanne Lee are producing for Jackson Pictures, the studio that previously released titles like The Trial Of The Chicago 7 and Molly’s Game. Lulu Wang and Dani Melia, whose previous work includes 2019’s The Farewell and Prime Video miniseries Expats, are also signed on to produce.
No word on casting as of this writing, or whether Lee would consider doing double duty as the film’s director and star. Once she crosses that hurdle, though, she just needs to make sure her bosses at Searchlight never park their cars on set. Sarah Polley learned that one the hard way.
