The worldwide best-selling novel “Norwegian Wood,” written by Haruki Murakami, 59, will become a film, Fuji TV and Asmik Ace Entertainment said Thursday. Written in 1987, “Norwegian Wood” deals with the narrator’s memories of his student days in the 1960s and his relationships with two very different women.

According to the producers, the film will be directed by French-Vietnamese Tran Anh Hung, 46, and feature Japanese actors. Production is scheduled to start in February 2009, and the film will be released in 2010. Murakami has long declined offers to make the story into a film.

In an official comment, Hung said, “The original story is very dynamic but sensitive and has tenderness and grace. It will be a challenge for me to capture so many elements.”

japantoday