By Ethan Anderton/Dec. 15, 2019 10:30 am EST
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The Expatriates is a series adaptation based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s novel of the same name, focusing on the lives of a few expatriate women and their struggles while living in Hong Kong. The series is being produced by Nicole Kidman and Per Saari by way of the duo’s Blossom Films production banner. Alice Bell (The Beautiful Lie) was previously hired as writer and executive producer, and now she’ll be joined by Lulu Wang, who will not only be writing and executive producing herself, but will also direct several episodes.
This sounds like the perfect drama for Wang, who delivered a truly touching story about in The Farewell, which followed a Chinese family putting on a fake wedding so they can all say goodbye to their grandmother, who has been diagnosed with an advanced cancer. There’s hilarity, heart and a story that is simultaneously universal while also be specifically representative of a culture that hasn’t been represented very well on the big screen over the years. Wang clearly felt the story was right for her too, telling Deadline:
Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother of three, questions her maternal identity in the wake of a shattering loss. As each woman struggles with her own demons, their lives collide in ways that have irreversible consequences for them all.
We’re not sure when the series is supposed to begin production, but we’ll keep you posted.
