Amazon Studios has snapped up global rights to the big screen adaptation of “Alice + Freda Forever,” Variety has confirmed.
The deal for the film comes as the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off and could signal that the streaming service will be an active buyer. That should be welcome news for agencies, who are looking for some deep-pocketed content companies as they hustle to kick off some bidding wars.
The big attraction here is Jennifer Kent, the Australian filmmaker who scored a low-budget horror hit with “The Babadook.” She followed that up with “The Nightingale,” a revenge thriller that earned a largely positive reception from critics. Kent will write and direct the film, which is adapted from Alexis Coe’s book.
The film is based on the true story of Alice Mitchell, who inspired a media frenzy after she murdered her lover, Freda Ward. Here’s the official logline: “In 1890’s Memphis, two teenage girls fall deeply in love, until jealousy and outside forces turn their romance into an unstable obsession.”
The film will go into production next summer. Amazon is coming to Toronto to screen “The Report,” a thriller with Adam Driver, and “The Aeronauts,” both of which it hopes to propel into the awards race. It’s also looking to rebound after a wave of box office flops that includes “Beautiful Boy,” “Late Night,” and “Life Itself.”
Deadline first reported the sale. Endeavor Content brokered the sale. Greg Berlanti, Sidney Kimmel, Sarah Schechter and John Penotti are producing.
