Netflix wins record short story auction ‘i am not alone’, star vehicle for jessica chastain; misha green to write & direct grounded sci-fi terror tale

EXCLUSIVE: If some film executives have looked a bit distracted at the agency Oscar parties tonight, it’s because they were waging a rather breathtaking auction for_ I Am Not Alone_, a

22-page short story by Chris Hicks that is an ideal template for a major genre film. The dust is just settling, but I am hearing that Netflix is closing up a high-six-figure deal for an

outright buy of the story, with mid-seven figures pledged to _Lovecraft Country_’s Misha Green to write the script and direct as a star vehicle for Oscar winner Jessica Chastain. Five

bidders chased this one over 72 hours, and it came down to Netflix and Warner Bros. A big reason for the outcome is that Green wanted this to be with a streamer. The short story begins with

the prologue: “I began seeing the creatures about a week before Zoe’s visit.” I don’t want to give too much of it away, but the story centers around a mother of a young daughter whose life

unravels when she suffers unbearable migraines that cause her to hallucinate as she begins to see creatures. It is the template for a grounded sci-fi story about a mother forced to defend

her family against a threat only she can see.   WATCH ON DEADLINE Genre Films’ Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon, Bread & Circuses Entertainment’s Craig Flores, Scott Glassgold and Peter

Katz are producing along with Chastain and her Freckle Pictures partner Kelly Carmichael, and Misha Green. Verve and Glassgold’s Ground Control handled the auction along with Peter Katz, CAA

and Range Media Partners. This is the seventh recent deal by Verve and Ground Control, and I think this might be the highest sum paid for short-story IP. Factoring in the producer deals and

also Chastain’s salary, the deal will easily exceed the big one made recently for Barbarian director Zach Cregger for _Weapons_ to New Line. And the short story _The Occupant_, which

Cregger was also in the middle of. This one came down to Netflix and Warner Bros, with the top execs from each making offers from the agency parties. It is hard to reach the participants at

this late hour, but I got hold of two of the producers. Said Kinberg, who has teamed with Chastain on three previous projects: “I’m a massive fan of Misha’s work, and been friends with Craig

for years, so when I got sent this story and heard they were involved, I absolutely flipped out. Misha’s vision for it is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And getting to work with Jessica

again makes it even dreamer.” Said Flores, who is producing Green’s directing debut _Sunflower _for Lionsgate: “Collaborating again with visionary writer-director Misha Green and her unique

literary voice on this sci-fi horror franchise is an absolute dream. And combining two creaetive powerhouses like Misha and Simon Kinberg is more than any producer could ask for.” Hicks is

repped by Verve and Story Driven; Green by CAA and Range Media; Chastain is CAA and Mosaic.