Sam Esmail Making Series Adaptation Of The Family Chao
"Mr. Robot" creator Sam Esmail is staying busy, as Deadline reports he's now making a series adaptation of Lan Samantha Chang's "The Family Chao." Apart from adapting the groundbreaking "Metropolis" for Apple TV+, Esmail will be developing this latest project via his Esmail Corp. banner, which also has a deal at the Universal Studio Group division. The official synopsis for Chang's "The Family Chao" can be found below:
"The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao restaurant's delicious Americanized Chinese food for thirty-five years, content to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. Whether or not Big Leo Chao is honest, or his wife, Winnie, is happy, their food tastes good and their three sons earned scholarships to respectable colleges. But when the brothers reunite in Haven, the Chao family's secrets and simmering resentments erupt at last.
Before long, brash, charismatic, and tyrannical patriarch Leo is found dead―presumed murdered―and his sons find they've drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town. The ensuing trial brings to light potential motives for all three brothers: Dagou, the restaurant's reckless head chef; Ming, financially successful but personally tortured; and the youngest, gentle but lost college student James. As the spotlight on the brothers tightens―and the family dog meets an unexpected fate―Dagou, Ming, and James must reckon with the legacy of their father's outsized appetites and their own future survival."
The Brothers Karamazov, modernized
Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brother's Karamazov" is inherently philosophical in nature: a theological drama delving into the divergent aspects of faith, free will, reason, and morality, with a dash of patricide. "The Family Chao" follows the basic tenets of Dostoevsky's novel through a postmodern lens, in which the Chao family grapples with the darker undercurrents of their family legacy. Esmail and UCP have already optioned the rights to "The Family Chao."
Esmail is not new to undertaking challenging projects, as he already has a "Battlestar Galactica" reboot lined up for the future, along with the TV drama "Angelyne" and "The Resort," which will play out along the lines of a true-crime love story. Esmail will executive produce "The Family Chao" alongside Chang and Chad Hamilton, while Eli Kirschner will be co-executive producing. A writer for the project has not been chosen as of yet. Esmail expressed his joy in adapting the complexities in Chang's novel:
"A modern retelling of The Brothers Karamazov, The Family Chao centers a complex family drama against the backdrop of a murder mystery. Expertly drawn characters drive this gripping narrative, exploring themes of race, family, betrayal, and the immigrant experience in America – all without being didactic. Lan Samantha Chang's character-driven story lends itself perfectly to the medium of television, and we're thrilled to help bring her vision to the screen."
Chang, who also penned novels like "Inheritance," "Nothing is Lost," and "All Is Forgotten," expressed her support for the adaptation:
"I'm thrilled to be working with UCP and Esmail Corp...I know Sam and his team will bring the Chao family and the mystery surrounding their small-town Chinese restaurant to life on the screen."
As "The Family Chao" is still in its initial stages of development, cast and plot details for the series have not been revealed as of now.