What do you get when you mix a Former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and First Lady with an International and New York Times Best-Selling author? Not only do you get an incredibly well-written novel, but now you can also anticipate a full-length feature production. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny’s State of Terror will be getting the silver screen treatment. The two teamed up to write the political thriller, which hit bookstores everywhere in October 2021, and have officially struck a deal with Madison Wells to bring their book to the big screen.
Renowned film producer, Gigi Pritzker, who has been behind titles including The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Drive, owns the production company which strives to bring stories about women and by women to light. And with their highly competitive purchase of State of Terror, they will be doing just that. Using her time on the inside of politics, Clinton crafted the perfect pulse-pounding novel alongside the multi-award-winning author, Penny.
Centered around the newly appointed Secretary of State, Ellen Adams, the film is sure to be a non-stop thrill ride full of twists and turns. Adams was not expecting her new job as the President-elect’s Secretary of State as the two have had a volatile and politically opposed history. As her new job begins, Adams finds her world turned upside down due to an extreme global threat. Beginning to untangle the truths from the lies, the new Secretary of State puts it all on the line.
Clinton and Penny are both set to serve the feature as consultants and executive producers. Clinton’s production company, HiddenLight Productions, of which she founded alongside Sam Branson and Chelsea Clinton will produce State of Terror. For Madison Wells, Pritzker and Rachel Shane will also produce.
Receiving rave reviews from critics everywhere, with the New York Times calling it “a page turner,” praising the “ambitious and apocalyptic” plot, it is no surprise as to why State of Terror was such a hot commodity. In a statement attached to the film’s announcement, Pritzker commented that while reading the book, she was unable to put it down and that she was excited to bring a story featuring “women as the main characters in a complex international thriller like this” to life.
Though we don’t have any more information at this time, the news alone of a female-driven political thriller making its way to the big screen is exciting enough. For a full breakdown of what you can expect from the story, check out the synopsis below.
Here’s the synopsis:
After a tumultuous period in American politics, a new administration has just been sworn in, and to everyone’s surprise the president chooses a political enemy for the vital position of Secretary of State. There is no love lost between the President of the United States and Ellen Adams, his new Secretary of State. But it’s a canny move on the part of the president. With this appointment, he silences one of his harshest critics, since taking the job means Adams must step down as head of her multinational media conglomerate. As the new president addresses Congress for the first time, with Secretary Adams in attendance, Anahita Dahir, a young foreign service officer (FSO) on the Pakistan desk at the State Department, receives a baffling text from an anonymous source. Too late, she realizes the message was a hastily coded warning. What begins as a series of apparent terrorist attacks is revealed to be the beginning of an international chess game involving the volatile and Byzantine politics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; the race to develop nuclear weapons in the region; the Russian mob; a burgeoning rogue terrorist organization; and an American government set back on its heels in the international arena. As the horrifying scale of the threat becomes clear, Secretary Adams and her team realize it has been carefully planned to take advantage of four years of an American government out of touch with international affairs, out of practice with diplomacy, and out of influence in the places where it counts the most. To defeat such an intricate, carefully constructed conspiracy, it will take the skills of a unique team: a passionate young FSO; a dedicated journalist; and a smart, determined, but as yet untested new Secretary of State.
via Collider