Blumhouse Television has acquired the rights to Shusuke Shizukui‘s Japanese psychological novel Sparks (also known as Hi No Ko), Deadline has learned.
Krystal Houghton Ziv (“The Purge,” “CSI: Miami”) has been tapped to write and executive produce the pilot.
Additional executive producers include Mark Amin, Cami Winikoff, & Dave Devries for Sobini Films (Dead Man’s Wire) and Motoko Kimura.
Published by Gentosha, the book follows Takeuchi Shingo, a serial murder suspect whom retired judge Kajima Isao acquitted two years ago, who moves in next door to the home where Kajima and his family live.
Takeuchi grew up starving for the affection of his parents and does everything he can for the people he likes. He has a charming smile, gives tasteful gifts, and cares for the elderly. However, he gets violent when people avoid him.
Takeuchi wins the hearts of the Kajimas with effusive goodwill, but a series of inexplicable incidents starts to occur in the area. Yukimi, Isao’s daughter-in-law, realizes Takeuchi’s true nature and tries to expose him despite being isolated from the family.
Shizukui’s novel has sold over 770,000 copies and was previously adapted into a Japanese limited series in 2016.
