Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s time travel novel, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, will be developed into a television drama.
According to Deadline, Fox, Sony Pictures Television, and Jackal Group, the company of producer Gail Berman, are behind the project. Gideon Raff, whose previous credits include writing for Homeland, Prisoners of War, and Tyrant, will serve as writer and showrunner.
Here’s the synopsis of the show, per Deadline, which differs from its source material in that it takes place in the U.S. rather than Japan:
In the heart of Japantown, San Francisco, a family-owned café offers more than just coffee—it serves as a bridge between past and present. Visitors line up, drawn by the chance to relive a moment that changed their lives, knowing they must return before their coffee grows cold. Though the past cannot be rewritten, the act of letting go in the present can open the door to a future filled with hope. But this barista family, whose selfless gift has brought solace to so many, must now confront the shadows of their own mysterious past—one that may cost them everything.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold originated as a screenplay of Kawaguchi’s that the author and playwright then adapted into a novel. It’s the first in a series of five books that feature cute cafés, cats, and time travel.
The project is still in its early days, so no news yet on casting or if/when it will make its way to a small screen near you.
