Geremy Jasper, the director of the Sundance sensation Patti Cake$, has signed on to direct The Night Circus, Lionsgate’s adaptation of the best-selling fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern.
David Heyman, the producer behind the Harry Potter movies, is producing with Jeffrey Clifford (I Love You, Man) via Heyman’s Heyday Films banner. Tim Palen is also producing under his Barnyard Projects banner.
The story is set at the beginning of the 19th century, telling the story of two young magicians, pawns in an age-old rivalry between their mercurial, illusionist fathers and the enchanted circus where their competition and romances play out. The fates of everyone involved, from creators and performers to patrons, hang in the duo’s balance.
Annie Baker wrote the latest draft of the script, which has been previously worked on by Moira Buffini and Patrick Ness.
The adaptation has been been in development since 2011, when Lionsgate label Summit picked up the rights. This is the first time the project has had a director.
Meredith Wieck and Brady Fujikawa are overseeing for Lionsgate. Richard Pine is executive producing.
Jasper is a music video and commercials director (one highlight is Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over”) who made his debut with Patti Cake$, an underdog tale set in an underground rap world, which was greeted with two standing ovations and a massive distribution deal when it premiered at 2017’s Sundance Film Festival. The movie, however, failed to catch on at the wider box office.
Jasper is repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment.
