Julia Roberts is teaming up with director James Gray to adapt the forthcoming novel “Kill Your Darlings,” authored by New York Times bestselling writer Peter Swanson. Scott Stuber’s rebooted United Artists label, along with Amazon MGM Studios, has swiftly secured this impressive project, which will showcase Roberts not only as the lead actress but also as a producer. She will collaborate with partners Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill through their Red Om Films banner, alongside Tribeca Studios’ Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh. Stuber, partnering with Nick Nesbitt, will also be producing.
The novel, set to be released by HarperCollins in June, has already garnered significant attention, leading Amazon and Stuber to act rapidly to acquire it before it hit the Hollywood market. “Kill Your Darlings” presents a unique narrative structure, as it unfolds a murder mystery in reverse. It follows the married couple Tom and Wendy Graves, who have been living what seems to be a picture-perfect life for over 25 years. However, hidden beneath their seemingly idyllic facade is a shocking secret that could change everything.
The gripping storyline unfolds backward through key moments in the Graves’ lives. Significant events such as their fiftieth birthday celebration, the purchase of their home, the birth of their child Jason, and even the enigmatic death of a work colleague are woven together to depict a marriage intricately defined by a single, terrible act they committed together long ago. As readers journey through their past, they gradually reveal the details of a fateful secret from their early twenties that has kept Tom and Wendy tethered through the years. This sinister bond, however, is showing signs of tension, leading each partner to contemplate whether they would be better off ensuring the other remains silent about their shared secret.
Joel Gotler, who represents both Swanson and the novel, will serve as an executive producer for the adaptation. This collaboration marks a reunion for Roberts and Red Om Films with Stuber, who previously teamed up with her on “Leave the World Behind.” The film that rose to become one of Netflix’s most notable successes. They are also working together on “Panic Carefully,” an upcoming project directed by Sam Esmail that has Roberts starring and producing with Stuber in the production team.
Beyond this project, Stuber is busy developing a series of films with United Artists, including an adult mystery thriller titled “The Girl in the Lake,” adapted from a book by Lauren Oliver, which is reportedly attracting the interest of Scarlett Johansson for the lead role. He is also producing Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” for Netflix, as well as “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” a drama directed by Scott Cooper that features Jeremy Allen White.
Meanwhile, James Gray, known for acclaimed films like “Armageddon Time,” “Ad Astra,” and “The Lost City of Z,” is in pre-production on “Paper Tiger,” a crime thriller starring Adam Driver, Anne Hathaway, and Jeremy Strong. Gray is represented by CAA and Jackoway Austen, while Roberts is repped by CAA and Hirsch Wallerstein. With the blend of Julia Roberts’ star power and James Gray’s directorial expertise, audience anticipation for “Kill Your Darlings” is steadily building, promising a thrilling murder mystery that explores the complexities of love, secrecy, and morality.
