Greta Lee Sets Directorial Debut With ‘The Eyes Are the Best Part’ Adaptation for Searchlight

Greta Lee, the star of “Past Lives” and “The Morning Show,” is stepping behind the camera for the first time. In her feature filmmaking debut, she will direct and write an adaptation of “The Eyes Are the Best Part,” author Monika Kim’s psychological horror novel about the making of a female serial killer, for Searchlight Pictures.

Described as a “terrifying tale of misogyny, Asian fetishization and cannibalism,” the story follows a struggling college freshman named Ji-won who develops an obsession with eating human eyes. The New York Times book review praised “The Eyes Are the Best Part” as a “delightfully gory tale” that is “emotional as it is brutal.” Casting has not been announced.

Producers include Matt Jackson and Joanne Lee through Jackson Pictures, Lulu Wang through Local Time, and Dani Melia. Kim will serve as executive producer. Searchlight’s senior VP of production Taylor Friedman and creative executive Daniel Yu will oversee the project on behalf of the studio, reporting to co-heads of production and development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas. UTA negotiated the deal on behalf of Kim and Lee with Searchlight Pictures.

Before Lee starts on “The Eyes Are the Best Part,” she’ll appear on screen in the upcoming “Tron: Ares,” the Kent Jones drama “Late Fame” alongside Willem Dafoe, and the fourth season of “The Morning Show.” Lee is repped by UTA, Entertainment 360, Jackoway Austen Tyerman and Relevant. Kim is repped by UTA for media rights and publishing, Ginsburg Daniels LLP.