Amy Pascal and Bruna Papandrea are bringing your next literary obsessions to the big screen. Pascal is finalizing a deal for Laura Dave’s “Hello, Sunshine” and Papandrea has optioned Elizabeth Klehforth’s debut, “The House On Langley Lake.” Deadline broke both stories.
Dave will adapt the soon-to-be-published “Hello, Sunshine” with her husband, screenwriter Josh Singer (“Spotlight”), and Pascal is producing alongside Rachel O’Connor. No word on a director yet or a studio yet, despite Pascal Pictures’ first look deal with Sony.
Out July 11, the book’s logline reads: “Sunshine Mackenzie is a lifestyle guru for the modern age, beloved by millions who tune into her YouTube cooking show, and scour her website for recipes and wisdom in how to live a perfect life. She’s got a devoted architect husband, a reputation for sincerity and kindness, but she’s hiding who she really is. And when her secret is revealed, her fall from grace is catastrophic. What Sunshine does in the ashes of her own destruction may just save her life.”
Dave’s other novels include “Eight Hundred Grapes,” “The First Husband,” “The Divorce Party,” and “London Is the Best City in America.” “Eight Hundred Grapes” was previously optioned by Fox 2000.
Pascal’s upcoming projects include the Pentagon Papers drama “The Post,” written by Liz Hannah, and the Jessica Chastain-starring “Molly’s Game.” Pascal is also producing the recently-announced “Marian” with Margot Robbie.
According to Deadline, “The House On Langley Lake” marks Papandrea’s first acquisition for her new shingle Made Up Stories. Previously, the producer worked with Reese Witherspoon at Pacific Standard, the production company behind “Big Little Lies,” “Gone Girl,” and “Wild.”
The “taste-making” Papandrea will produce with Brendan Kenney, with Jeanne Snow and Casey Haver overseeing development.
Klehforth’s yet-to-be-published first novel “probes the depths of dangerous friendships and powerful families,” the source writes. “The story is told through narratives from the heroine’s present, and her parents’ past, to unearth secrets that bind and destroy the characters.”
“With an incredibly complex young heroine at the center, this is one of those rare books that will appeal to a large cross section of readers. It is an emotional and heart racing thriller that I believe will find a huge international audience,” Papandrea commented.
Made Up Stories is currently producing and co-financing Jennifer Kent’s “The Nightingale,” about a woman seeking revenge for her family’s murder in Tasmania, Australia. The film will begin shooting this week.
