George Takei will be the executive producer of a film adaption of Jamie Ford’s best-selling debut novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
Deadline reports that the Star Trek actor will team up with producers Dian Quon and Joseph Craig to bring Ford’s heartbreaking tale of love, hope and racism to the big screen. The author will co-write the screenplay.
Ford’s novel follows the tale of Seattle based Chinese American Henry Lee who falls in love with a Japanese American girl, Keiko, who is sent to an internment camp during WWII. The drama is set in 1942 and 1986, exploring Henry who becomes a widower, reconciling with his tough past. Ford’s 2009 debut novel won 6 awards including the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
“The book tells an intimate love story that is, at once, poignant and sweeping with historic magnitude told against the backdrop of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII,” said Takei in a statement. “I was captivated by Jamie Ford’s novel when I first read it and visualized a compelling film in my mind’s eye.”
“I saw the drama of enduring love despite governmental racism, the passage of time and the vicissitude of life. What a wonderful film it would make. Now we are beginning the exciting adventure of making it happen.”
According to Ford, requests for the book to be turned into a film have always been thrown at him.
“The number one question I get from fans from all around the world is — will there be a film?,” says Ford. “I’m delighted to say yes because for years I said no to filmmakers who wanted to change too many things about the story (like the ethnicity of my main character). With this team, I’m confident that fans will get a satisfying film that remains true to the spirit or the book.”
Production will start in 2018.
