Sony & SK Global acquire Kevin Kwan’s Sex and Vanity
Following a heated bidding war, the film rights to Crazy Rich Asians trilogy author Kevin Kwan’s latest novel, New York Times bestseller Sex and Vanity, have been acquired by Sony Pictures and SK Global, according to Variety.
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The novel, Kwan’s first since his Crazy Rich trilogy concluded in 2017, was published by Doubleday on June 30 and became a smash hit upon release, instantly shooting to the NY Times Bestseller list and garnering rave reviews from critics and fans. The official synopsis reads as follows:
On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can’t stand him. She can’t stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Casa Malaparte than she does, and she really can’t stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin Charlotte. “Your mother is Chinese so it’s no surprise you’d be attracted to someone like him,” Charlotte teases. The daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and a blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton, where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucie is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment building, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world–and her heart. Moving between summer playgrounds of privilege, peppered with decadent food and extravagant fashion, Sex and Vanity is a truly modern love story, a daring homage to A Room with a View, and a brilliantly funny comedy of manners set between two cultures.
Purchase your copy of the novel here!
“I am overjoyed to be embarking on this cinematic adventure with Sony Pictures and SK Global,” Kwan said in a statement. “Sony Pictures has produced so many of my favorite films over the years, and I am thrilled by Sanford Panitch’s vision for this project. I’m also very excited to be working again with my great friend John Penotti, who responded immediately and passionately to the world I created in Sex and Vanity.”
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The film adaptation is set to be produced by Kwan and SK Global’s John Penotti, with SK executive Xian Li overseeing the project for the banner while Jiao Chen is the Sony Pictures exec who will oversee the title for the studio.
“Seven years ago Kevin entrusted us (and our producing partners) with his ground-breaking Crazy Rich Asians bestseller, and ever since working with him has been a creative dream,” Penotti said. “With Sex and Vanity he’s once again created a work of magic, crafting a riveting story about love and identity. We instantly fell in love with its heart and humor and are thrilled to partner with him again, as well as with our collaborators at Sony Pictures. Sanford and the team love the book as much as we do, and we are all committed to bringing this story to a global audience.”
SK Global previously worked with Kwan to bring Crazy Rich Asians to life on the big screen in 2018 at Warner Bros., which became a global smash, grossing nearly $240 million on a $30 million budget and receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, garnering two Golden Globe nominations. The studio is currently developing adaptations of the latter installments in the novel trilogy.
(Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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