Hello Sunshine and 3000 Pictures have enlisted an Oscar-nominated screenwriter to pen their adaptation of “Where the Crawdads Sing.” Lucy Alibar will bring Delia Owen’s critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller to the big screen. Deadline broke the news.
Boasting over 4.5 million copies sold since its August 2018 publication, “Where the Crawdads Sing” tells the story of Kya, a young woman who is abandoned by her family and “raises herself all alone in the marshes outside of her small town. When her former boyfriend is found dead, Kya instantly is branded by the local townspeople and law enforcement as the prime suspect for his murder,” the source details. “Equal parts haunting crime thriller and coming-of-age story, ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ explores the universal yearning for connection, formative first loves, and an inner strength one can summon, no matter the obstacles.”
Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter will produce for Hello Sunshine. Elizabeth Gabler and Erin Siminoff are overseeing the project for 3000 Pictures, the former’s newly launched Sony Pictures label.
Alibar scored an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing 2012’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” which was based on her 2002 play “Juicy and Delicious.” She also penned the screenplay for “Troop Zero,” Bert & Bertie’s comedy about a group of misfit scouts that premiered at Sundance 2019. Viola Davis, Allison Janney, and McKenna Grace star in the adaptation of her play “Christmas and Jubilee Behold the Meteor Shower.”
“Delia Owens has created a heroine whose strength, perseverance, and courage embodies the female character driven stories we are so excited to tell,” Witherspoon said. “We’re thrilled to have Lucy join the team of incredible women who are bringing Kya’s story to life on screen.”
Witherspoon exec produces and stars alongside Kerry Washington in Hulu’s adaptation of Celeste Ng bestseller “Little Fires Everywhere.” Set to premiere March 18, the drama tells the story of two families whose lives collide and are forever changed.
