Higher Ground Productions, the studio founded by Barack and Michelle Obama, has greenlit an adaptation of the novel Audition. Written by Katie Kitamura, the thriller was published earlier this year and gained recognition after Barack Obama featured it on his 2025 Summer reading list. The novel follows a decorated actress whose life is turned upside down when a man shows up at her door claiming to be her son.

LAIKA will be producing alongside Higher Ground Productions. Despite being known for animated films such as Coraline, ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings, this adaptation will be live-action. The film will be directed by Lulu Wang, most know for The Farewell in 2019 starring Awkwafina. The film was nominated for numerous awards including Golden Globe nominations. She will be penning the screenplay for Audition alongside Martyna Majok.

Lucy Liu is a critically acclaimed actress with iconic roles in films such as Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels, Kung Fu Panda and Chicago. She recently appeared in the Dwayne Johnson-led Red One and the Steven Soderbergh drama Presence. Charles Melton is a more up and coming star, but he still has a handful of notable roles under his belt. He gained popularity from the CW drama Riverdale, but later scored roles in films such as Bad Boys for Life, The Sun Is Also a Star, and Warfare. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in May December, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore.

Audition is still in the pre-production phase with no current release window, but stay tuned for more updates on the film.