Actor and all-around great person, Randall Park, is making his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of the graphic novel Shortcomings, according to Variety. The story revolves around three people in the Bay Area: Ben Tanaka, Miko Hayashi and Alice Kim. The protagonist is Ben Tanaka, who lives in Berkeley, and must navigate being an Asian in American society. It seems like a strikingly poignant story during these tough times for the Asian community.
Park seems like a perfect fit in the director’s seat, though there is no word on if he will be in the story at all. While he is probably too old to play any of the main characters, he certainly could play some sort of role in the story.
The piece was written and illustrated by Adrian Tomine, who has also written the screenplay for the adaptation. Tomine was hesitant at first with the idea of an adaptation of his work, it was originally published in 2007, but after talking to the studio as well as Park, he changed his mind.
Tomine saying that they “impressed me with their passion, insight and vision for this film” and that Park and company “have been invaluable partners in the process of translating Shortcomings both to the screen as well as to the current time, and I’m honored to be a part of this collaboration.”
Park will technically be making his directorial feature debut, though the 47 year-old actor has directed one episode of Fresh Off the Boat, a few short films, and a portion of the shot for shot remake of Footloose entitled Our Footloose Remake. The actor continues growing his career after being a standout in the MCU TV series WandaVision. With that new fame, it is exciting to see him doing something he has a lot of passion for and extending his career from acting to directing.
On the project and Tomine, Park said, “I am such a huge fan of Adrian’s work, and I’m very excited to team with him and Roadside Attractions on this updated, modern take of Shortcomings.” It seems that everyone is really getting along in the creation of this film.
There is no set production date.
It is also great to see more Asian representation in popular media. Park has one more quote where he talks about the connection between his life and this story. He says, “In these characters, I see versions of Asian Americans in my own life — the ones I love and the ones I just kind of tolerate.” Overall, it will be important to see these stories be told, and it is refreshing to see Asian-American talent in front and behind the camera.
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