Hulu is developing Gaijin, a contemporary Japan-set drama starring and executive produced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Inspired by the life of chef Ivan Orkin, it follows an American widower who moves to Japan with his young son and tries to open a restaurant, making it markedly different from the historical drama Shōgun.

The series centres on Ivan’s struggle to adapt to Japanese language, culture and family life after moving in with his late wife’s relatives. The real Orkin, a culinary-school dropout, went on to establish Ivan Ramen restaurants in Tokyo, New York and London; no release date or further casting has been announced.