Lucy Liu to star in film from Hillsboro-founded studio, the Obamas’ production company

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Hillsboro-founded studio is joining a former president and first lady’s entertainment brand in producing a new film.

LAIKA and Higher Ground Productions, which was launched by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, have been revealed as the producers of “Audition.” The movie will be based on Katie Kitamura’s novel of the same name, and will star Lucy Liu of “Charlie’s Angels” and Charles Melton of “May December.”

Although the Oregon studio has gained a reputation for animated works like “Paranorman” and “Coraline,” its upcoming project will be a live-action adaptation of the novel that former President Obama featured on his 2025 summer reading list.

According to the production companies, Kitamura’s “Audition” follows the story of a famous New York City actress whose life “spirals” when she encounters a man alleging he is her long-lost son. Lulu Wang, the filmmaker behind A24’s “The Farewell,” will direct and write the movie’s screenplay.

“At LAIKA, we are always seeking out bold, emotional, and inventive stories, and Katie Kitamura’s ‘Audition’ is exactly that,” LAIKA President of Live Action Film & Series Matt Levin said in a release. “Lulu Wang is a brilliant and daring filmmaker we’ve long admired, and her unique vision and Higher Ground’s commitment to powerful storytelling make them the perfect partners to bring this extraordinary novel to the screen.”

The upcoming thriller will add to LAIKA’s roster of non-animated works. The company launched its live-action-focused subsidiary in Los Angeles about two years ago.

It is currently developing a film adaptation of John Brownlow’s novel “Seventeen,” and of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “Atmosphere.” An original screenplay titled “Crumble,” written and directed by Brian Duffield of “No One Will Save You,” is also in the works.

The Obamas’ production studio is behind films like Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind” and “Rustin.”