Mudbound helmer Dee Rees has found her next project.
The director will tackle the Joan Didion-penned political thriller The Last Thing He Wanted, which follows a Washington Post journalist thrown unexpectedly into the dangerous world of arms dealing.
Marco Villalobos will adapt the book that was acquired last year by Elevated’s Cassian Elwes, who worked with Rees on Mudbound.
The Fyzz Facility, the company behind this summer’s surprise box-office success 47 Meters Down, will develop the project as part of their first-look deal with Elwes. The producer-financier has an option to co-finance the film once the project is ready.
“This work is one of my favorite Joan Didion novels and is a brilliant and layered piece of fiction,” said Rees. “I am forever attracted to interesting, unexpected characters, and Didion is one of the greatest masters of the form. I’m so excited to be able to interpret this literary masterpiece.”
Rees’ other credits include the indie hit Pariah and the Emmy-winning HBO film Bessie. She is repped by WME.
Since the success of 47 Meters Down, the London-based Fyzz Facility has plotted numerous productions including a Winona Ryder-Keanu Reeves romantic comedy and a 47 sequel, titled 48 Meters Down.
