Paramount Pictures and Studiocanal have confirmed a deal for David Ellison’s big-swinging Hollywood studio to acquire North America and select territories on the upcoming fantasy drama The Midnight Library with Florence Pugh attached to star.
Studiocanal took the $70m marquee European project to Cannes where it sparked a “competitive bidding process”. While Studiocanal did not confirm the reported $36m price of the Paramount deal, it did say the amount “could be over the rumoured number…”
The European giant will distribute directly in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia, New Zealand and through partners in Scandinavia and South Africa, while Paramount will release across most of the rest of the world after its first buy under the recently-appointed head of global acquisitions Lia Buman.
Production is expected to begin in early 2027. Lion director Garth Davis helms the story about Nora Seed, who finds herself in a library between life and death with the chance to experience all the potential lives she could have lived. Laura Wade and Nick Payne adapted the screenplay from Matt Haig’s 2020 novel.
Studiocanal and Blueprint Pictures are producing. Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin will serve as producers via Blueprint Pictures alongside Anita Overland and Pugh. Haig is an executive producer with CEO and chief content officer Canal+ Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern, and Dan MacRae.
Sejin Croninger led the negotiations for Paramount with Anne Cherel and Aska Yamaguchi on behalf of Studiocanal.
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