Some novel adaptations have your basic story: a book attracts interest before publication, and a studio nabs the rights to launch development before it hits shelves. Yōko Ogawas's The Memory Police is on a slightly different path: published 25 years ago in Japan, it has only recently been translated into English, and now Amazon Studios has director Reed Morano and writer Charlie Kaufman attached to handle the adaptation.
Ogawa's book is a surrealist tale with an unusual plot. On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, things have begun to disappear: at first little things: ribbons and then roses. Soon, photographs. However, a rare few are able to remember all that no longer exists – but the Memory Police are determined to make sure that what has been erased, remains forgotten forever. When a young novelist realizes her book editor is one of those able to still remember, she hides him in a room beneath her floorboards. As the world closes in around them, they struggle defiantly to hold onto the truth. While Morano's attachment is more surprising (though he's long since proved her skill set), this seems right up Kaufman's alley.
Morano most recently released The Rhythm Section and has several projects in the works, including another book adaptation, this time Naomi Alderman's book The Power. Kaufman's current work, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things, is on Netflix now.