Katie Holmes to Star in Adaptation of Self-Help Book ‘The Secret’

Katie Holmes will star in The Secret, based on the best-selling self-help book by Rhonda Byrne.

The film, to be directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama), will follow a young widow with three children who hires a handyman to fix her house during a terrible storm. As the handyman grows closer to the family, he shares his philosophy of believing in the power of the universe to deliver what we want, but the widow soon realizes he carries a secret connection to her past.

Bekah Brunstetter, writer on NBC’s hit drama This Is Us, wrote the screenplay with participation from Tennant and longtime writing partner Rick Parks (Ever After: A Cinderella Story).

Covert Media’s CEO Paul Hanson will produce the movie with Robert Cort. Covert’s Elissa Friedman will serve as an executive producer alongside Media Content Capital’s Sasha Shapiro and Anton Lessine. Covert will finance and handle worldwide sales on the feature.

“Our filmmakers have created a compelling family love story that embodies the principles of The Secret,” Cort said. “We intend to make a film as funny, emotional and endearing as its message is hopeful.”

Byrne’s book, published in 2006, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, been translated into 50 different languages and remained on the New York Times‘ best-seller list for 190 weeks. The book and nonfiction films of the same name suggest that thoughts and visualizations of one’s desires can lead to those things appearing in one’s life.

“I am so excited that the film version of The Secret is finally here,” said Byrne. “This movie will not only be a great thrill for The Secret fans across the planet, it’s also certain to ripple out and touch millions more people. The Secret book was life-changing for so many, and this movie continues that legacy within a stunning piece of entertainment.”

Added Hanson: “We are thrilled to be building The Secret with such a powerful combination of talent, both acting and directing, all rooted in a truly heartwarming script and the globally well-known book.”

Holmes, whose past credits include TV series Dawson’s Creek and films Batman Begins, Pieces of April and The Ice Storm, will next be seen in Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky. She also will have a cameo in the upcoming Ocean’s Eight, set to be released by Warner Bros. on June 8, 2018. Holmes is repped by ICM, Untitled Entertainment and Sloane Offer.

Tennant helmed Ever After: A Cinderella Story, which starred Drew Barrymore and took home $98 million worldwide; Sweet Home Alabama, which starred Reese Witherspoon and grossed $180 million worldwide; and Hitch, which starred Will Smith and garnered over $368 million worldwide. The director is repped by Paradigm and Hansen Jacobson.

Brunstetter’s credits include ABC series Switched at Birth and the short film Again, which premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. In addition to NBC’s This Is Us, she is currently working on the Starz series American Gods, starring Gillian Anderson and Crispin Glover. Brunstetter is repped by WME.