Charlize Theron To Star And Produce Film Adaptation Of Gillian Flynn’s Novel DARK PLACES

Academy Award winning actress Charlize Theron (SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMEN, PROMETHEUS, MONSTER) will star in and produce the film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel Dark Places to be written and directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner (SARAH’S KEY), it was announced today by Exclusive Media’s Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East.

Exclusive Media’s Guy East and Nigel Sinclair will produce and fully finance the film alongside Theron’s production company Denver and Delilah Productions with partners Beth Kono and AJ Dix; Stephane Marsil’s Hugo Productions and Mandalay Vision’s Matthew Rhodes. Tobin Armbrust and Alex Brunner of Exclusive Media will executive produce with Peter Safran, and Mandalay’s Cathy Schulman will also produce in some capacity.

Stephane Marsil has developed and produced all of Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s films starting with 2001’s PRETTY THINGS which garnered star Marion Cotillard a César nomination.  When Gilles brought Gillian’s book to Stephane, he immediately optioned it and engaged Gilles to develop his first English language American film.

Charlize Theron will play Libby Day, a woman who, at the age of 7, survives the massacre of her family and testifies against her brother as the murderer. Twenty-five years later, a group obsessed with solving notorious crimes confronts her with questions about the horrific event.

Tobin Armbrust, President Worldwide Production and Acquisitions, will oversee the production for Exclusive Media.

Alex Walton, Exclusive Media’s President of International, will introduce DARK PLACES to overseas buyers at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Charlize, Mandalay Vision, Stephane, and Gilles to bring this riveting thriller based on Gillian’s best-selling book to a worldwide movie audience.  Devoted fans of her book will be delighted to learn that the screen adaptation is coming from such a stellar team of creative filmmakers,” said Nigel Sinclair and Guy East.

“I have been working with Gilles for more than ten years now and am very proud of the films we’ve produced, and especially the recent worldwide success of SARAH’S KEY.  Having developed Dark Places for the past few years as Gilles’ first American film, it is truly gratifying to be working with such fantastic partners in Denver & Delilah, Exclusive Media, and Mandalay Vision,” said producer Stephane Marsil of Hugo Productions.

Mandalay’s Matthew Rhodes & Cathy Schulman said “We knew after our first meeting with Stephane and Gilles that DARK PLACES would shape up to be a truly special project.  Exclusive is a terrific partner, and we’re thrilled they’ve come on board to support Gilles and our stellar creative team in bringing this gripping story to the big screen.”

Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in MONSTER in 2003.  She received further Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her performance in NORTH COUNTRY in 2005, and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in YOUNG ADULT in 2011. Theron was last seen in the summer box office hits SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and PROMETHEUS. She will be seen next in George Miller’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD opposite Tom Hardy.

YOUNG ADULT

Dark Places was published in 2009 and was listed on the New York Times Best Seller List for more than 25 weeks.  The book was also shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and won the Dark Scribe Magazine Black Quill Award for Dark Genre Novel of the Year.  Gillian Flynn is one of today’s leading suspense writers with her current novel, Gone Girl, spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the hardcover fiction best-seller list of The New York Times. Gone Girl has sold more than two million copies in print and digital formats.

Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s first feature was PRETTY THINGS which garnered star Marion Cotillard a César nomination. He wrote and directed SARAH’S KEY, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, which became the high est-grossing foreign-language release of 2011.

Chris Lytton, COO Film Group, negotiated the production deal on behalf of Exclusive Media with Mandalay Vision President, Matthew Rhodes and Mandalay’s counsel David Boyle . The project was brought into the mini studio by Alex Brunner, Exclusive Media’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer.

Charlize Theron is repped by WME. Gilles Paquet-Brenner is repped by WME, Independent Talent Group and Tom Drumm from Think Tank Management.