Lionsgate has landed the rights to Steven Rowley’s new novel The Guncle with an eye to a movie adaptation.
Rowley has two previous novels also in development for feature adaptations: Lily and The Octopus at Amazon Studios and The Editor at 20th Century Fox. He will adapt and executive produce The Guncle movie treatment for Lionsgate.
Rowley’s latest novel, from the Putnam imprint of Penguin Random House, follows a reclusive, once-famous gay television star who takes his young niece and nephew into his Palm Springs home after their mother dies suddenly, introducing them to his outsize life and unique wisdom and bringing about healing for all three.
Kristin Burr will produce through her Burr! Productions. She recently produced Disney’s Cruella and is a producer on Lionsgate’s upcoming The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, starring Nicolas Cage.
Rob Weisbach will also produce, while Jessica Friedman from Burr! Productions will co-produce.
“We’re always drawn to stories about people finding connection or growth where they least expect it. This is a fresh, unexpected and heartwarming story of healing grief – a poignant look at family that feels of this moment. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Kristin and Steven and Rob on this wonderful story that will have everyone wishing they had a Guncle too,” Erin Westerman, president of production for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement.
The project will be overseen at Lionsgate by James Myers and Scott O’Brien. Rowley is repped by CAA and Rob Weisbach Creative Management.
