Chernin Entertainment and Rupert Wyatt are going noir with Night Film, The Hollyood Reporter said.
Chernin has dipped into its discretionary fund to pick up the upcoming noir thriller by Marisha Pessl, the author behind the best-selling debut Special Topics in Calamity Physics.
Wyatt, who helmed the Chernin-produced Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is attached to direct. Chernin is producing.
Night Film tells the story of an investigative journalist named Scott McGrath who begins looking into the death of a beautiful young woman that was originally deemed a suicide. The woman turns out to be the daughter of a reclusive, cult horror film director named Stanislas Cordova, and McGrath finds himself on a journey of revenge and truth.
The book is due out from Random House in August.
No writer is on board yet. And while Chernin has a first-look deal at Fox, the project is not set up there or any other studio at this stage.
Kerry Foster brought the book into the company and will oversee.
Chernin is the producer behind Oblivion. The movie is already on its way to being a hit overseas, where it’s grossed over $61 million so far for Universal.
Chernin also is behind The Heat, Paul Feig’s new comedy that opens in June.
