Comic-Con: Fox, Reese Witherspoon At Center Of 7-Figure Deal For Gillian Flynn Novel ‘Gone Girl’
EXCLUSIVE: In a whopping summer auction that reached seven figures, 20th Century Fox acquired Gone Girl, the Gillian Flynn novel that was just published by Crown and is atop The New York Times Bestseller List for the second week in a row. The book will be produced by Pacific Standard’s Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea, along with Leslie Dixon. Flynn will write the screenplay. Other studios including Universal were in on the action and I think the Fifty Shades Of Grey action has elevated interest in bestsellers geared to female readers.
A woman disappears on the day of her fifth anniversary and all roads point to her husband as the killer. Flynn, who has three novels on the bestseller lists all at once, has two other movie projects in the works. Dark Places has Amy Adams attached to star, with Gilled Paquet-Brenner directing and her first novel, Sharp Objects, was optioned by Alliance with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum producing. Fox’s 
New York office, headed by Drew Reed, was all over this book. Reed and Chris Goldberg teamed with Peter Kang to bring it in. It was sold by Smiley Group’s Shari Smiley, the former longtime CAA agent who teamed with Stephanie Rostan of Levine/Greenberg Literary Agency. Smiley also sold the screen rights to the Cheryl Strayed book Wild, which currently sits atop the Non Fiction bestseller list. Pacific Standard bought it, with The Kids Are All Right’s Lisa Cholodenko adapting to direct.
Reese is making smart decisions lately
Lets be real and give credit where credit is truly due and that is to Bruna Papandrea on these creative decisions!
gillian will become a force to be reckoned with — amazing writer
I’ve been a fan of Flynn since Sharp Objects. I live in SW Missouri and her characterization of these areas is deadly accurate.
That said, holy fuck I hope Witherspoon doesn’t plan to star in this. She’s completely wrong for Amy and she’ll probably try to do a bad Southern accent even though Amy’s a New Yorker.
Reese Witherspoon can’t “try to do a bad southern accent” because she actually is from the south. (Raised in Nashville)
I wouldn’t call WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS AND MEN ARE MARS are smart choice, but this one sounds interesting. More of this please.
I don’t get it. What’s all this commotion about? The plot sounds like an episode of “Snapped” on Oxygen Channel
Flynn is an interesting writer, because she writes what are essentially genre thriller books with the expected fast pace, plot twists and so forth, but she has the technique and writing ability of writers who write “serious books”. I guess an anology (not on content or even style, but on mixing high and low) would be the way someone like Tarantino makes “B-movies” with incredibly high production value and great writing.
Oh, come on. Read the damn novel before you respond!
That was a response to huh’s comment. Not your’s, Heff…..
I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to have the author pen the script. Script writing is a separate art form.
Agreed! I completely agree. Give this to a great screenwriter who will turn it into “Best Picture.”
Does anyone know about Sharp Objects? I had read awhile ago that a screenplay was being written.
YAY Shari Smiley! She is a fantastic agent and really nice too. I’m not at all surprised to see her succeeding on this scale. Go Shari!!!
really, another Reese W. development deal. 7 figures. No way. Can’t remember the last Reese W starring vehicle that did any business. No studio is making a movie the rests on her sole shoulders. these announcements are so ridic.
Gone Girl was the first book I read by Flynn, and I was completely blown away by her talent. I for one am glad she’s writing the script. Maybe it will stick more closely to the book with her writing it.
Witherspoon needs to stay away from the FRONT of the camera. IF not, this also will go to the wayside and it doesn’t matter WHO is writing what.