The international bestseller "Norwegian Wood," written by acclaimed author Haruki Murakami, is being turned into a movie. First published in Japan in 1987, the book has been translated into 36 languages. 8.7 million copies have been sold in Japan alone.

Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung ("I Come With the Rain," "The Vertical Ray of the Sun") is handling the project, with Asmik Ace's Shinji Ogawa and Fuji TV's Chihiro Kameyama producing. The cast will be Japanese, and auditions are expected to be held later this year. Filming is set to start in February 2009, with theatrical release scheduled for 2010.