Cathy Yan hasn’t directed a film since 2020’s fan-favorite Birds of Prey (can we get a sequel, please?), but she hasn’t been sitting idle. In fact, Yan earned an Emmy nomination for directing an episode of HBO’s Succession. And she’s staying in the realm of TV for her next project, an adaptation of the beloved sci-fi novel and anime, Paprika.
Deadline reports Yan will direct and exec-produce a live-action Paprika series for Hivemind and Amazon Studios. This is a project that has been cooking for a long time, once as a movie led by late Troy director Wolfgang Peterson.
The original 1993 techno-thriller novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui follows a prominent scientist who uses her alter ego, Paprika, to infiltrate the dreams of her patients and treat their mental illnesses. The use of this dream psychotherapy is thrown into chaos when the technology is stolen, allowing the perpetrator to hack into the mind of anyone they choose.
Paprika first appeared in the pages of Marie Claire before becoming a novel. It is probably best known for the 2006 anime movie, considered a stone-cold classic of the genre that has inspired many filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan’s Inception.
