#WandaVision Favorite Randall Park Will Make His Directorial Debut with Shortcomings Adaptation

Randall Park broke out in a big way on the ABC sitcom Fresh Off The Boat, but Marvel fans love him most as Agent James E. “Jimmy” Woo, who first made his debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp before returning in WandaVision earlier this month. The actor is now set to make his feature directorial debut. And he will do that with an adaptation of Adrian Tomine’s acclaimed graphic novel Shortcomings.

Roadside Attractions and Imminent Collision will team on the feature film adaptation of Adrian Tomine’s acclaimed graphic novel Shortcomings. Randall Park will make his feature directorial debut on the comedic drama, with a screenplay adapted by Tomine, who is also executive producing. Indie studio Roadside Attractions will produce in collaboration with Park, Michael Golamco, and Hieu Ho’s Imminent Collision. Roadside, Imminent, and Park have been developing the project with Tomine and will go out to buyers in the coming weeks.

Regarded as one of the most masterful cartoonists of his generation, Tomine is well-known for his celebrated cover illustrations for The New Yorker. His acclaimed graphic novels include his graphic memoir The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and the 2015 graphic short story collection Killing & Dying, which serves as the basis of Jacques Audiard’s recently-wrapped next feature, Les Olympiades.

Shortcomings follows a trio of young Bay Area urbanites–Ben Tanaka, Miko Hayashi, and Alice Kim–as they navigate a range of interpersonal relationships, traversing the country in search of the ideal connection. In cafes, bars, and bedrooms, their stories collide and intertwine with naked candor and razor-sharp humor. The groundbreaking graphic novel is considered an iconic work of contemporary Asian American fiction and stands as a poignant and hilariously irreverent examination of racial politics, sexual mores, and pop culture.

Park has been making a foray into directing television, having helmed the series finale of Fresh Off the Boat, which ended its historic six-season run on ABC last year and in which he starred as the beloved father ‘Louis Huang’. He most recently starred as ‘Jimmy Woo’ in the critically acclaimed Marvel series WandaVision on Disney+. On the feature side, Park co-wrote, produced, and starred in the hit Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe. Said Randall Park about his new project.

“I am such a huge fan of Adrian’s work, and I’m very excited to team with him and Roadside Attractions on this updated, modern take of Shortcomings. In these characters, I see versions of Asian Americans in my own life – the ones I love and the ones I just kind of tolerate.”

Said Adrian Tomine.

“Shortcomings is a book that’s very close to my heart, and I have long resisted the idea of any adaptation that didn’t feel true to the style and spirit of the material. Randall, Roadside Attractions, and Imminent Collision immediately impressed me with their passion, insight, and vision for this film. They have been invaluable partners in the process of translating Shortcomings both to the screen as well as to the current time, and I’m honored to be a part of this collaboration.”

Producing for Roadside Attractions are Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff, Senior Vice President Jennifer Berman, and Creative Executive Ryan Paine, who brought the project into the company. Hieu Ho, Michael Golamco, and Randall Park will produce for Imminent Collision. Said Roadside SVP Jennifer Berman.

“With his adaptation of Shortcomings, Adrian has proven himself not only a brilliant cartoonist but also a talented screenwriter. When Randall came to us with a true artist’s vision for telling this story cinematically, everything clicked into place. We are honored to work with this stellar creative team to help bring this hilariously poignant story to screen.

Roadside Attractions has been a staple of American independent cinema since the company was founded in 2003. Roadside Attractions is currently a production company on Lionsgate’s Dear White People series for Netflix and expects to make more film and television project announcements in the near future as it continues its expansion into development and production.

Imminent Collision was founded by longtime creative partners Hieu Ho, Michael Golamco, and Randall Park. The film and television production company is dedicated to creating distinct, universal, and comedy-forward stories about Asian Americans for all audiences. Imminent Collision has several high-profile projects in the works, including shows under their first look TV deal with 20th Television / Disney Television Studios. Tomine is represented by UTA. Imminent Collision is represented by UTA and Myman Greenspan. Park is additionally managed by Artists First. Roadside Attractions is represented by Sheppard Mullin.

Topics: Shortcomings