It’s been almost two years since we learned Crying In H Mart, the bestselling memoir by Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner, would be adapted into a feature film. Now we know who’ll direct it. The movie — which is about Zauner navigating her Korean-American identity growing up, centering on her relationship with her late mother — will be helmed by Will Sharpe, perhaps best known for his role as Ethan opposite Aubrey Plaza’s Harper in the second season of HBO’s dark satire The White Lotus.

“There were lots of things that resonated with me as somebody who is half-Japanese, half-British, spent my childhood in Tokyo,” Sharpe told People. “Some of the descriptions of being jet-lagged in your family’s kitchen felt very familiar to me.”

Zauner shared this statement:

It was a daunting task, to find someone I could trust with the retelling of such a personal story. Someone who could honor my mother’s character and respect the darkest days of grief, and still make the coming of age of a half-Korean artsy outsider in a small Pacific Northwest hippie town seem real and cool.

In that spirit, I am so relieved to have found Will Sharpe and am beyond delighted that he will be the director of Crying in H Mart. I believe his sensitivity, as a director and an actor, and his own personal experience, having grown up between two cultures, will be tremendous assets.

His work on Flowers and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain speak to his ability to conjure lofty, vulnerable performances, to find humor and grace within the tragedy of the everyday. They are a precious collection of talents that make him the perfect fit for this film.

In 2020, Sharpe won a BAFTA for his role as Rodney Yamaguchi in Giri/Haji. His previous directorial work includes movies such as The Darkest Universe and The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain and the HBO miniseries Landscapers.