The indie production company Blueprint Pictures has been behind some massively acclaimed films since its inception in 2005. Most notably, it’s been a frequent partner for Academy Award-winning director Martin McDonagh, previously backing his feature debut In Bruges, as well as Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and, most recently, the 2022 black comedy The Banshees of Inisherin. The latter alone garnered nine Oscar nominations and was seen as a genuine best picture contender, anchored by Colin Ferrell and Brendan Gleeson. Blueprint‘s latest effort was in partnership with A24 on Glen Powell‘s How to Make a Killing, though it has also once again teamed with McDonagh to build out his new film, Wild Horse Nine, coming in November.

During CinemaCon at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, it was announced that the banner now has another project on its plate in partnership with StudioCanal. Both sides have previously worked together in some capacity, including on A Boy Called Christmas, The Mercy, and more, but they’ll next be adapting a worldwide bestselling fantasy novel that has shipped over 12 million copies to date and been translated into over 50 languages. That novel is The Midnight Library, a fantastical speculative fiction story by internationally renowned author Matt Haig. Haig, notably, also penned the aforementioned holiday-themed novel that united StudioCanal and Blueprint.

Hugh Spearing, StudioCanal‘s Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Distribution, confirmed that the companies were in early development on the feature adaptation, meaning it may still be a while before it ever hits screens. When it does, however, viewers will follow Nora Seed, a thirty-something woman who reaches her breaking point after living a life filled with misery and regret. In her darkest hour, she finds herself whisked to the titular library situated between life and death. Each book allows her to live out a variation of her life that could’ve been had she stuck with a certain relationship or pursued a specific career path. Working out her perfect life soon shows Nora things aren’t always as she expected and lands both herself and the library in grave danger. By the end, she’ll learn an important lesson about what makes life so worth living and how we define our place in the world.

‘The Midnight Library’ Isn’t Haig’s First Adaptation

A Boy Called Christmas and now The Midnight Library are just a couple of Haig‘s works that have been targeted for adaptation. His 2010 vampire horror comedy The Radleys was brought to life back in 2024 with a cast led by Damian Lewis. Before that, Benedict Cumberbatch had sought to adapt Haig‘s 2017 novel, How to Stop Time, through his production banner, SunnyMarch, though nothing has come of it since he acquired the rights in 2018. The last major update came in 2023, when Cumberbatch came back on board with StudioCanal to instead turn it into a six-episode series rather than a film. Though no specific names are attached, this latest adaptation has the potential to be something big, given the global love for Nora’s story.

via Collider