Audition: Lucy Liu and Charles Melton set to star in Lulu Wang’s direction

Audition is the upcoming film directed by Lulu Wang. Wang previously directed titles like 2019's The Farewell and 2014's The Posthumous. Both of these films were critical successes.

Wang's upcoming film will be produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground Productions. They have partnered with LAIKA to support the project, which will be an adaptation of Katie Kitamura's 2025 novel of the same name.

Since the project has been announced, let's review all the important details. Fans of the book may be excited to learn that it's getting a film adaptation so quickly.

Lulu Wang to direct Audition film adaptation

Expand Tweet

Lulu Wang will direct the film adaptation of Katie Kitamura's novel Audition, published in 2025. The film is produced by Higher Ground Productions and LAIKA. The latter is a stop-motion animation studio, and Audition will be their first film in live-action.

The film will star Lucy Liu and Charles Melton. Liu is known for her roles in movies like Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Wang will write the script with Martyna Majok, a playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner. Wang also co-produces the film through her production company, Local Time.

The Audition will be in the thriller genre and follows an actress living in Manhattan with her spouse. One day, a man shows up and claims to be her son. The book was published by Riverhead Books on April 8, 2025. Barack Obama included it in his summer reading list of 2025. He wrote,

“[It's a] quiet novel about the ways we hide our true selves from others – and ourselves.”

Anikah McLaren, Vinnie Malhotra, Travis Knight, Lulu Wang, and Matt Levin will produce it through their respective banners. Katie Kitamura and Jeremy Kipp Walker will serve as executive producers of the film.

After directing The Farewell for A24, Wang went on to work on Amazon Prime Video's series Expats, starring Nicole Kidman. Wang directed all the episodes and also served as the writer, director, and showrunner.

Meanwhile, Obama's production company made its debut with the 2019 documentary American Factory. They went on to support titles like Leave the World Behind, American Symphony, and Crip Camp, among others.

Are you excited about the film?