South Korean sci-fi bestseller inks six-figure film deal with Warner Bros

Cheon Seon-ran's 'A Thousand Blues' to be adapted into Hollywood film

UK edition of "A Thousand Blues" by Cheon Seon-ran (Doubleday, Hubble)

Cheon Seon-ran’s heartwarming science fiction novel "A Thousand Blues" is headed for the big screen in the US.

Hubble, the literary imprint of Seoul-based East-Asia Publishing, said Saturday that it had signed a film adaptation deal with Warner Bros. Pictures, and that the novel is "now on track to meet a global audience on screen."

The Hollywood studio behind blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter and Dune, is said to have been drawn to the novel’s "original and compelling" storytelling.

Directors including Celine Song ("Past Lives"), Greta Gerwig ("Little Woman," "Barbie") and Alfonso Cuaron ("Roma," "Gravity") 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 toward 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, 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 Science Fiction Awards and became a runaway bestseller, with over 200,000 copies sold in Korea to date.

The translation rights have been sold to more than 10 countries, with recent publications in Japan, Germany, Taiwan, China and the United Kingdom.

"A Thousand Blues" was also adapted for the stage: produced as a play by the National Theater Company of Korea and as a musical by the Seoul Performing Arts Company in 2024.