Lionsgate has landed the rights to a film adaptation of Virginia Evans’ bestselling novel “The Correspondent,” with Jane Fonda attached to star and produce.
Todd Lieberman, who most recently produced Lionsgate’s holiday hit “The Housemaid,” is also attached to produce through his Hidden Pictures banner. Lionsgate and Hidden Pictures also jointly produced the Netflix streaming hit “War Machine,” directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson, which has been the No. 1 film on the platform for two weeks.
In “The Correspondent,” Fonda will play Sybil Van Antwerp, a sharp-witted, fiercely opinionated retired lawyer who has long used letters to impose order on a complicated world—writing to friends, family, literary icons and one elusive recipient to whom she has never sent a message. But when an unexpected letter from her past arrives, Sybil is forced to confront a long-buried chapter of grief, regret and unresolved guilt.
Cat Vasko will write the screenplay and serve as executive producer alongside Evans. Chelsea Kujawa and Pavan Kalidindi will oversee the project for Lionsgate. Carly Kleinbart Elter and Aydan Cohen will oversee the project for Hidden Pictures.
“We could not be more honored that Virginia, Jane, and Cat have chosen us to be their studio partner on this project. This book spoke to so many people on our team who found Sybil’s story and character deeply moving, and we believe Jane, Virginia, and Cat responded to the genuine enthusiasm and personal touch that we bring,” Erin Westerman, president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said.
“And there’s no one better to shepherd the project than our friend Todd Lieberman at Hidden Pictures, who alongside his colleague Carly Elter produced another successful book-to-screen adaptation in ‘The Housemaid.’ This is a perfect team—we’re thrilled to have won the trust of all—and we can’t wait to get started,” Westerman continued.
“This book is a phenomenon. To be invited in alongside the legend Jane Fonda, with my Lionsgate partners and Cat, is a thrilling honor—and we all can’t wait to have moviegoers experience the same catharsis that so many book readers already have,” Lieberman added.
Fonda most recently starred in the 2023 comedy “80 for Brady” and in “This is Me…Now,” a visual companion to Jennifer Lopez’s 2024 album of the same name released on Amazon Prime. Fonda has also produced many of the films and TV series she has starred in, including her Oscar-winning turn in “Coming Home” and more recently, her Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Grace and Frankie.” She is represented by CAA, Untitled, and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.
Dan Freedman negotiated the deal on behalf of the studio.
