Cheon Seon-ran’s sci-fi novel 'A Thousand Blues' to get Hollywood adaptation

Cheon Seon-ran’s 2020 sci-fi novel "A Thousand Blues" is set to be adapted into a Hollywood film by Warner Bros. Pictures, publishing company Hubble said Saturday.

″A Thousand Blues″ (2020) novelist Cheon Seon-ran on April 18, 2024 [YONHAP]

Cheon Seon-ran’s 2020 sci-fi novel "A Thousand Blues" is set to be adapted into a Hollywood film by Warner Bros. Pictures, publishing company Hubble said Saturday.

The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the film rights reportedly sold for between 600 million and 700 million won ($440,000 and $510,000), according to industry sources.

"Warner Bros. described the novel as 'original and captivating,' and is considering directors such as Celine Song of 'Past Lives' [2023], Greta Gerwig of 'Barbie' [2023] and Alfonso Cuarón of 'Roma' [2018] for the project," according to Hubble.

Initially published in 2020, "A Thousand Blues" is Cheon’s first full-length novel. It takes place in a near-future Korea in 2035, where humanoid robots are commonplace. The story follows Collie, a jockey humanoid robot accidentally built with a cognition chip, who chooses to take a fall to protect his ailing horse, Today, and later encounters a family of three women.

″A Thousand Blues″ (2020) by novelist Cheon Seon-ran [HUBBLE]

The novel blends speculative technology with deeply human themes, exploring robots, animals and disability through Cheon’s unique and warm perspective.

"A Thousand Blues" had previously been adapted for the stage — both as a play by the National Theater Company of Korea and a musical by the Seoul Performing Arts Company. The latter, praised for its immersive portrayal of the novel’s world, returned to the stage in February and March this year at the National Theater of Korea.

Cheon debuted with the novel "The Collapse of the Bridge" in 2019 and has continued to write science fiction works such as "Some Shape of Love" (2020). She also published an essay in 2024 titled "Anyway, Digimon" (2024), through which she expressed her lifelong affection for the sci-fi genre.

"A Thousand Blues" won the Grand Prize in the Novel category at the fourth Korea Science Literature Awards in 2019, and Cheon was named a 2024 Young Artist of the Year by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY CHOI HYE-RI [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]