R.O. Kwon’s The Incendiaries is headed to the small screen, Deadline reports.
Kwon’s book is being adapted as a limited series by FilmNation, the entertainment company behind films like Spencer and Red Rocket and the television series I Know This Much Is True.
Kwon’s debut novel, published in 2018 by Riverhead, follows Phoebe, a college student who’s recruited into a cult, and her friend, Will, who’s recently transferred to the school from a Bible college. The novel was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times First Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize.
The screenplay for the series will be written by Lisa Randolph, known for her work on Being Human and Prodigal Son. Kogonada, who helmed four episodes of the series adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, will direct the show.
“I was immediately taken by R.O. Kwon’s story of class, reinvention, and the loss and radicalization of faith, which seems more relevant than ever,” Kogonada told Deadline. “I’m delighted to be working with Lisa Randolph and FilmNation to help bring this haunting, revelatory work to life.”
Kwon also expressed enthusiasm for the project, saying, “I deeply admire FilmNation’s work and am utterly delighted by Lisa Randolph’s brilliant scripts, which are both so true to the novel and tell its story in new ways I couldn’t have imagined. I’ve loved and rewatched Kogonada’s work for years.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
