The Ink Factory has optioned C Pam Zhang’s highly acclaimed debut novel, How Much Of These Hills Is Gold, with the intention of developing a TV series.
So far, The Ink Factory has partnered on the project with Anita Gou, who will executive produce through her Kindred Spirit banner. The project’s writer will be Hansol Jung, whose credits include Tales Of The City from Netflix and Pachinko from Apple TV+. Endeavor Content will also co-develop the show.
The novel follows the story of Chinese-American immigrants arriving in the U.S. during the Gold Rush, and blends Chinese symbolism and reimagined history with fantastically original language and storytelling. It’s a novel about the conflict between siblings, and carrying the body of their newly deceased father across a harsh landscape.
Among other major accomplishments, How Much Of These Hills Is Gold was selected as one of NPR’s best books of 2020, and was also named a Barack Obama Book of the Year.
When speaking about this adaptation news, Zhang said, “It feels quietly revolutionary to think that I might see two Chinese American kids swagger and stride across the screen, heroes of an American cinematic tradition I have always adored – it’s exactly where they belong, where Chinese Americans have always belonged. What a joy to have this team that already includes female and queer perspectives from the Asian diaspora, and that I hope will grow to include even more voices.”
The creative director at The Ink Factory, Katherine Butler, also weighed in on her ambitions for this upcoming project. “We fell in love at first read with Pam’s stunning novel which combines an epic revisionist sweep with moving and intimate portraits of its two young protagonists.”