Patrick Ness to Adapt Dallergut Dream Dept Store for

Patrick Ness, the acclaimed author and screenwriter behind A Monster Calls and the screenplay for The Knife of Never Letting Go, is set to adapt the bestselling South Korean novel Dallergut Dream Department Store for Disney’s live-action division. The project marks the studio’s latest foray into adapting international literary sensations for a global audience, tapping a writer known for blending emotional depth with fantastical storytelling.

The novel, written by Lee Mi-ye, follows a mysterious department store that operates solely while customers sleep, stocking dreams designed to heal, haunt, and guide them through their subconscious lives. The store’s young and weary manager, Penny, is the protagonist, navigating the delicate ethics of selling dreams while confronting the hidden pain of the store’s regular customers. Disney and its production partners have been quietly developing the property for months, and the attachment of Ness signals a firm commitment to preserving the book’s introspective, whimsical tone while making it accessible for a family-oriented, yet sophisticated, live-action feature.

Ness, who has also written the Chaos Walking trilogy and the critically lauded More Than This, is known for pushing young-adult fiction into dark, philosophical territory without alienating younger readers. His adaptation of A Monster Calls earned widespread praise for its visual and narrative restraint, suggesting he is well-equipped to handle the dreamlike logic of Dallergut without losing the story’s human core. Disney has not confirmed a director or cast, but sources indicate the studio views Ness’s script as a foundational piece around which they will build a visually ambitious production, likely involving extensive practical sets supplemented by subtle VFX to render the dream sequences.

The announcement is part of a broader trend at Disney, which has recently adapted novels like The One and Only Ivan and The Mysterious Benedict Society for film and television. However, Dallergut Dream Department Store presents a unique challenge: its central conceit is not action-driven but experiential, relying on episodic encounters within the store’s surreal floors. Ness’s task will be to find a narrative spine that carries viewers through the novel’s meandering, anthology-like structure, possibly by strengthening Penny’s personal arc and the growing mystery of the store’s founder, a reclusive figure who appears only in dreams. Industry insiders note that Ness has a knack for tightening sprawling narratives without simplifying their emotional stakes, which bodes well for a property that readers describe as both gentle and unsettling.

The book’s cultural specificity also plays a role in the adaptation’s appeal. While the dream store concept is universal, the novel is steeped in Korean folklore and urban legends about the mind’s residue. Ness, who has spoken publicly about his love for translated fiction, has reportedly spent time with the original text and discussions with the Korean publisher to ensure the adaptation remains culturally authentic, rather than being sanded down into a generic fantasy setting. Disney’s track record with such adaptations is mixed - sometimes they retain cultural texture, as with Raya and the Last Dragon - but the studio’s willingness to bring on a novelist of Ness’s caliber suggests they are prioritizing literary integrity over formulaic franchise expectations.

Fans of the book have been vocal about their hopes for the adaptation, particularly regarding casting and the depiction of the store’s many whimsical products, such as dreams that come in flavors or those that replay childhood memories. Ness has yet to comment publicly, but his previous adaptations suggest he will treat the source material as a starting point rather than a script to be adhered to beat-for-beat. He has often spoken about the necessity of changing mediums, arguing that a faithful adaptation is not about replicating every scene but capturing the book’s why - the reason it exists in the reader’s chest.

No release window has been announced, and the project remains in early development, with the script expected to take at least a year to finalize before pre-production begins. Disney’s live-action slate is crowded with established IP, sequels, and remakes, but Dallergut Dream Department Store represents a riskier, more original bet - one that could either position Disney as a hub for literary fantasy or simply add another faithfully adapted but commercially modest title to its roster. For Ness, the project continues his career-long exploration of grief, imagination, and the stories we tell ourselves in the dark. For audiences who have waited to see the novel’s gentle magic on screen, the wait is now officially over - in the sense that it has just begun.

Source: Hollywood Reporter