The rights to best-selling author Paula Hawkins‘ 2022 novella “Blind Spot” have been purchased by Blumhouse Television, an American production company specializing in the thriller genre. The psychological thriller will be produced by Blumhouse and Paper Pictures as a streaming film, and casting is presently taking place.
Previously, Hawkins’ 2015 debut novel titled The Girl on the Train was adapted into a successful mystery psychological thriller in 2016. The movie saw an international box office cumulative gross of $173.2 million. The Tate Taylor directed film won the People’s Choice Award in 2017 for favorite thriller movie and garnered main actress Emily Blunt a Screen Actor’s Guild Award nomination for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role. Hawkins also authored “Into the Water” and “A Slow Fire Burning.” Her representative agencies, David Higham Associates and WME, completed the contract for the adaptation of her April 2022 release “Blind Spot.”
The psychological thriller “Blind Spot” centers on Edie, Jake, and Ryan, three adults who grew up together and share an unshakeable friendship. Edie finds herself without her two ever-present companions when Jake is murdered in cold blood and Ryan is subsequently charged with homicide. Edie secludes herself in the isolated place she lived in with Jake, feeling increasingly concerned that the past has come back to haunt her, but she may, in fact, be thinking logically in her panic as someone has kept their eye on Edie, anticipating the moment she is finally alone.
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Founded by Jason Blum in 2000, Blumhouse is known for the horror and thriller categories of films, having produced movie hits like Paranormal Activity, Get Out, and The Purge franchise. In the television realm, Blumhouse has produced shows, like The Thing About Pam and Sharp Objects. Paper Pictures American film producer Carla Hacken will spearhead Paper Productions’ involvement in the creation of the streaming adaptation.
In response to the news of the acquisition of the rights to her novella, Hawkins described her thoughts, saying:
“I’m delighted that ‘Blind Spot’ is destined for the screen, and I believe that in Blumhouse and Carla Hacken, I’ve found the perfect partners to adapt this dark, frightening, character-driven story. I’m a huge fan of Blumhouse’s perceptive and intelligent horror — ‘Get Out’ and ‘The Invisible Man’ in particular — and I’ve loved their TV adaptations, too — I thought ‘Sharp Objects’ was outstanding.”
Hack, too, expressed her excitement for production:
“I’ve been such a fan of Paula’s and from the moment I read this thoroughly gripping short story, I knew I wanted to make this movie with my friends at Blumhouse Television,” Hacken said. In addition, the president of Blumhouse Television, Chris McCumber, showed his enthusiasm for adapting Hawkins’ words onto the screen, saying, “‘Blind Spot’ is ripe for Blumhouse to adapt. Paula’s captivating storytelling absorbs you into this taut, suspenseful world where the characters feel very real and the payoff hits.”
Be sure to be on the lookout for more information about the upcoming Blumhouse Television and Paper Productions collaboration on Hawkins’ recent novella. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled on Netflix for Paper Pictures’ Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, which is in post-production.
