Will Sharpe from ‘The White Lotus’ to direct ‘Crying in H Mart’ film adaptation

Recognized largely for his work on The White Lotus, actor and filmmaker Will Sharpe is directing a film adaption of the highly praised memoir Crying in H Mart.

The novel which is written by Michelle Zauner and was published in 2021 focuses on Zauner’s relationship with her Korean heritage and mother, who died from cancer. Zauner is adapting the screenplay and will also contribute to the film’s music.

The official synopsis for the film reads:

“Crying in H Mart” is a “coming-of age story about a half-Korean daughter who returns to small town Oregon to care for her Korean mother. Critical and smothering Chong-mi and creative and independent Michelle struggle to understand each other across a cultural fault line, only learning to see and accept one another through the formative power of music and the vibrant flavors of Korean cooking.”

“There were lots of things that resonated with me as somebody who is half-Japanese, half-British, spent my childhood in Tokyo,” Sharpe told People, which first reported the news of his directorial efforts. “Some of the descriptions of being jet-lagged in your family’s kitchen felt very familiar to me.”

Sharpe recently co-wrote and directed the HBO and Sky drama Landscapers, starring Olivia Colman and David Thewlis. His previous credits also include dark comedy-drama Flowers which he wrote, directed as well as starred in.