Stampede, the newly formed media company founded by former Warner Bros. Pictures president Greg Silverman and former Facebook CFO Gideon Yu, has optioned the film rights to When We Were Lost, the upcoming book by British author Kevin Wignall.
The YA survival thriller is being described as having elements of Lord of the Flies and Lost as it tells the story of a group of teens who survive a plane crash in the jungles of Costa Rica. Two leaders emerge — one a son of a politician who is on the student council, the other a loner with no interest in friendships — and lives are on the line. Complicating matters is the reveal that the crash was no accident.
The tome is being published by Little, Brown imprint Jimmy Paterson Books and will hit shelves in the spring.
Wignall, known for his fast-paced thrillers, has had several brushes with Hollywood before. The Hunter’s Prayer was adapted by Jonathan Mostow into a 2017 movie starring Sam Worthington and Odeya Rush, and Wignall’s To Die in Vienna was picked up earlier this year by Focus with Jake Gyllenhaal attached to star in and produce the adaptation.
When We Were Lost marks the latest book pickup for Stampede, which is looking for intellectual property to build its slate. It recently acquired the rights to the female-driven horror thriller This Red Fire by author Nicolina Torres, James Riley’s young adult fantasy series Revenge of Magic and Minnie Darke’s twisted romantic comedy Star-Crossed.
