EXCLUSIVE: 'Firelight' Finds Writer to Adapt Dragon-Themed Tale

Nick Pustay

Nick Pustay has been tapped to adapt Firelight, Mandalay’s adaptation of the Sophie Jordan young-adult fantasy novel.

The book was published by Harper Teen in September, with Mandalay picking up the rights pre-emptively just weeks after.

The “Twilight with dragons” story centers on Jacinda, a young girl who is a “draki,” a descendant of dragons who can morph into human form, and who is ordained to marry another of her kind. When the girl’s mother moves the family to live among humans for safety reasons, Jacinda puts her family at risk when she falls for a member of a secret dragon-hunting society.

Cathy Schulman is producing. Mandalay’s Adam Stone is overseeing.

Mandalay’s indie label Mandalay Vision is at Sundance with two buzzworthy movies: Another Happy Day, starring Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore and Kate Bosworth, and Salvation Boulevard, starring Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly.

Pustay has some tween experience having worked on Ramona and Beezus, the adaptation of the Beverly Cleary novel, as well as Aquamarine, the Alice Hoffman book. For Unique Features, he is writing the adaptation of Shiver, the story of a teenage boy who becomes a wolf each winter, and his girlfriend.

Pustay is repped by ICM, Jaret Entertainment and attorney Robert Szymanski.