Bestselling Japanese Crime Novel ‘The Aosawa Murders’ Set for Six-Part Limited Series From Jonathan Kier, Matt Brodlie’s Upgrade Productions (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comChristopher Vourlias A riveting murder-mystery based on a prize-winning Japanese crime novel is at the heart of the upcoming six-part series “The Aosawa Murders,” a buzzy U.S.-Japan co-production that’s being pitched this week at Rome’s MIA Market.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Japanese writer Riku Onda, the show is produced by Jonathan Kier of Upgrade Productions, the L.A.-based company launched in 2021 by the ex-Sierra/Affinity president Kier and former Disney Plus and Netflix executive Matt Brodlie, and Takeo Kodera of Japanese publishing house and media giant Kadokawa.
The series begins in 2004, when freelance writer Yuko arrives in the beautiful coastal city of Kanazawa to investigate the infamous “Aosawa Case,” a mass poisoning that occurred in 1973 when 17 members of the wealthy Aosawa clan died after drinking poisoned sake and soft drinks during a family celebration.
There she meets Makiko Saiga, the secretive author of “The Forgotten Festival,” a book based on the murders. But when the writer reveals little about the notorious case, Yuko decides to delve into the past herself, seeking out the elusive Hisako Aosawa — who, as a blind 12-year-old girl, was the only family member to survive the incident — and hoping to shed light on a dark episode that only grows more mysterious the further she digs.
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