Disney has acquired the rights to The New York Times‘ bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz’s new YA novel, 29 Dates, according to Deadline.
The Gotham Group will produce this project, which will air on Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+. 29 Dates will be published December 18 by Inkyard Press/Harlequin, a division of HarperCollins.
The story centers on a Korean exchange student who moves to the United States. Sixteen-year old Jisu Kim struggles against the academic pressure exerted by her ambitious parents, who also set her up on a number of seon (matchmaker) dates to meet appropriate young men from Seoul to San Francisco. The book has been lauded for its depiction of characters from a range of ethnicities as well as its accurate cultural details of Korean life, along with its surprise romantic ending.
It is not yet known if Disney plans to adapt 29 Dates into a series or film.
De la Cruz has written over forty novels, which include The Descendants, Blue Bloods, Witches of East End and the Alex and Eliza trilogy.
The company recently wrapped on the feature film version of Stargirl for Disney+. Based on the novel by Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl was directed by Julia Hart and written by Kristin Hahn.
Source: Deadline
