Jeremy Saulnier to adapt thriller novel Hold the Dark for the screen
A24 announced today that it is re-teaming with Jeremy Saulnier, the filmmaker behind their buzzy horror-thriller Green Room, which just screened to rave reviews on opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival. Their next project together will be an adaptation of William Giraldis celebrated novel Hold the Dark. Saulnier will direct and his longtime creative partner Macon Blair will write the screenplay. A24 will produce alongside their recurring partner Eva Maria Daniels of VisionChaos Productions and also Russell Ackerman and John Schoenfelder of Addictive Pictures.
Hold the Dark is an intense tale of fate, family, and revenge set in the remote Alaskan wilderness. When a child is taken from his village by a pack of wolves, an expert hunter is summoned to track and destroy them. His mission leads him down an increasingly dark and shocking path as he confronts the cruelty of nature and his own failures as a man. With the childs grief-crazed father closing in behind him and a fierce, unforgiving landscape ahead, the question becomes, who is really being hunted? The New York Times has called the novel extraordinary an unnerving and intimate portrayal of nature gone awry, and the Boston Globe proclaims that it stands out as one of the decades best books.
About the project, A24 said, Jeremy is one of the most talented, original filmmakers working today, and were ecstatic to build our relationship with him, especially with such a distinct, ambitious project. ‘Hold the Dark’ is a stunningly bold, gritty piece of material and we have no doubt Jeremy and Macon will make something unforgettable. This is a story that, with their craftsmanship and vision, will leave people breathless. We can’t wait to get started.
Filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier said, “In three short years A24 has built the most exciting brand in American distribution. Macon and I can’t think of a better partner for our most ambitious project yet. The combined resources, support and creative vision of A24, VisionChaos and Addictive Pictures will allow us an incredible opportunity to create something on a level of which we’d previously only dreamed.”
