Amazon Studios has brought on Reed Morano to direct its upcoming adaptation of Yōko Ogawa’s novel The Memory Police as a feature film, according to Deadline.
The novel details a strange phenomenon on a Japanese island in which people forget about certain objects, while a mysterious organization tasked with removing the objects works to make sure that they stay forgotten.
The book was originally published in Japan in 1994, and was only recently translated into English by Stephen Snyder. Since its publication last year, its earned considerable acclaim, scooping up a nomination for the World Fantasy Award, as well as spots on the long lists for the National Book Award and International Booker Prizes.
The novel follows an unnamed novelist living on an island who has to contend both with people around them forgetting about objects, but also the “Memory Police” who work to make sure that those people who do remember things are kept under observation.
Deadline reports that Morano will direct the film for Amazon, working off of a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman. Morano earned an Emmy for directing the pilot episode of another adaptation—The Handmaid’s Tale for Hulu, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood. She’s also attached to Amazon’s upcoming adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s novel The Power. Deadline didn’t say when production would begin on the project, when it is expected to debut, or who will be cast.
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The Memory Police