Paramount Pictures secures rights to Florence Pugh’s fantasy drama “The Midnight Library” following a bidding war at the Cannes film market, according to multiple outlets. The film is based on Matt Haig’s book. Garth Davis, known for “Lion,” is set to direct, with Pugh attached to star and produce.
Deadline and Variety report that Paramount acquires North American distribution plus select international territories from Studiocanal, which is linked to Canal+ Group. Deadline adds that the deal is reported at $36 million and that Focus Features and Sony were also in the running, with both circling for North America and selected foreign markets during the auction. A separate Deadline update notes that while news of the win broke before all territories were finalized, the distribution agreement has since been completed, including a range of offshore foreign territories.
Studiocanal is also described as retaining certain distribution responsibilities, including release in the U.K., France, and Germany, as outlined by Variety. The combined reporting indicates the acquisition is the biggest transaction tied to the Cannes film market for this project.
