The Farewell Director Lulu Wang Lines up New Sci-Fi Offering Children of the New World

Looks like it’s a big week for breakout indie filmmaker Lulu Wang.

As the Sundance favorite and the film that’s expected to be one of the best this year, The Farewell, is ready to hit theaters Friday, Wang is already revving up for her next role as writer and director on a new feature project.

A fresh, new sci-fi offering, Children of the New World is expected to follow Wang’s tradition of excavating evolving family dynamics for drama.

While plot details are still under wraps, the film will be an adaptation of Alexander Weinstein’s short story collection of the same name.

Each story of Weinstein’s collection, which can be succinctly described as Black Mirror in literary form, illustrates the impact of technology on our lives, forcing us to face what makes us human. For instance, one plot line introduces us to a creator of virtual memories who struggles to tell the difference between real experiences and manufactured memories. Another tells the story of a desperate childless couple who have two children in an online world, only to have their web lives infected by a computer virus.

With its intriguing narratives, the 2016 collection nabbed more than a few literary awards and accolades. It was an NPR Best Book of the Year and a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year.

One of the stories, Saying Goodbye to Yang, is already being adapted by Columbus filmmaker Kogonada.

The film will be Wang’s third feature, following The Farewell and her 2014 debut, the screwball rom-com Posthumous, starring Jack Huston and Brit Marling.

Wang will be joining up once again Farewell producer Big Beach. Dani Emlia and Peter Saraf are on board for Big Beach, and Justin Lothrop will produce for Votiv. Votiv’s Brent Stiefel, known for 2016’s mediocre mystery As You Are, the critically acclaimed romance Obvious Child, and the raw and tender 2015 drama Free in Deed, will executive produce.

Big Beach is also currently working on TriStar’s Mister Rogers biopic, It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks.