Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Star in and Produce Hulu Drama Series GAIJIN Based on Chef Ivan Orkin — GeekTyrant
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer, Inception) has signed on to star in and executive produce a new series at Hulu titled Gaijin, the Japanese word for foreigner or outsider.
Inspired by Ivan Orkin’s real-life story that led to the creation of the restaurant Ivan Ramen, Gaijin is about an American culinary school dropout who spontaneously moves to Tokyo with his young son following his wife’s death.
Desperate to maintain a connection to his wife’s home country, Ivan (Gordon-Levitt) plunges headfirst into life in Japan. He moves in with his in-laws, whom he barely knows and barely likes, and takes action on a long-held dream of opening his own restaurant – in this case, a ramen shop.
Through hardships, culture clashes and humorous moments lost in translation, Ivan will, over the course of the series, take on the Herculean task of building a business and rebuilding a life.
New York chef Orkin became famous for opening successful ramen shops in Tokyo, Japan before expanding Ivan Ramen to his home town and London and starring on Season 3 of Netflix’s Chef’s Table.
The series comes from EP Shannon Goss, who is currently a writer/co-executive producer on Shōgun, sharing in the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy win for Season 1. She also recently co-executive produced AMC’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Gordon-Levitt, recently seen in Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man, will be seen in the upcoming movies Pendulum, in which he stars alongside Phoebe Dynevor, Jacki Weaver and Norman Reedus, and AI thriller 2034 for Netflix, which he co-wrote and directed, with Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels, Joel Edgerton, Caleb McLaughlin and Alfre Woodard starring.
via: Deadline
