Studiocanal has won the bidding war for the film option to “The Divorce,” the next thriller novel from “The Housemaid” author Freida McFadden.
The film adaptation is in early development, with Studiocanal fully financing the film and Working Title serving as co-producer. Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin will oversee the development and production for Studiocanal.
“I’m delighted to be working with the teams at Studiocanal and Working Title to bring ‘The Divorce’ to the big screen,” said McFadden in a statement. “From the start, they have come forward with an unparalleled enthusiasm and a strong vision for how to get this project off the ground. I can’t wait to see what unfolds!”
Set for publication on May 26 by Sourcebooks imprint Poisoned Pen Press, “The Divorce” is a tale of obsession and vengeance about a woman named Naomi whose idyllic married life is abruptly shattered when her husband divorces her, takes all their money, and takes up a younger woman.
Consumed with obsession over her husband’s new girlfriend, Naomi discovers secrets about them that they never imagined and spirals into a deadly pursuit to get her old life back.
McFadden has joined the likes of Colleen Hoover as one of the most sought after authors in Hollywood following the success of “The Housemaid” this past winter. Directed by Paul Feig and starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, “The Housemaid” was released by Lionsgate in North America and by Studiocanal in Australia and New Zealand, grossing just shy of $400 million at the global box office and becoming Lionsgate’s highest grossing film in more than a year.
Studiocanal will release “The Divorce” theatrically across their territory footprint of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland. Benelux, Australia and NZ and handle global distribution. The film will be released through Studiocanal Stories, a label specialized around literature adaptations.
“We are thrilled to be working with Freida McFadden on our adaptation of ‘The Divorce’. From the very first page, it was utterly compelling. Freida has a rare ability to draw readers – and viewers – into an unsettling sense of comfort, before brilliantly pulling the rug from under them,” said Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal & Chief Content Officer of CANAL+ Group.
“‘The Divorce’ is ambitious, aspirational and irresistibly addictive storytelling at its best, and marks an exciting new chapter for Studiocanal Stories. I would like to congratulate the Studiocanal team on this landmark deal, which powerfully demonstrates our commitment to nurturing distinctive literary voices for the screen,” Marsh continued.
McFadden has also recently reached a deal with Apple to adapt her 2024 thriller novel “The Teacher,” with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones producing. She is represented by Christina Hogrebe of Jane Rotrosen Agency, Angela Cheng Caplan of Cheng Caplan Company, and Allison Binder of Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson + Christopher.
