“Beautiful Ugly,” a new novel from author Alice Feeney, will be adapted for the screen.
Hidden Pictures, the production company founded in 2022 by Todd Lieberman, has acquired the rights to the book and plans to develop a film version of the psychological thriller.
“Beautiful Ugly” was published on Jan. 14 and landed on the New York Times best-seller list in its first week. The story follows a writer named Grady Green who happens to be on the phone with his wife Abby when she slams on her car brakes and gets out of the vehicle before the call cuts to silence. He eventually finds her car by the cliff’s edge; the driver’s door is open and her cell is there, but Abby is nowhere to be found. A year later, while still bereft, he travels to a tiny Scottish village where he sees a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Alice on her brilliant and haunting new book,” Hidden Pictures said in a statement. “With its unexpected twists, sharp social commentary, and compelling narrative, it has all the elements needed for an exciting adaptation. We can’t wait to find the perfect creative team to help us bring this powerful story to life.”
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Feeney spent 15 years as a BBC journalist before becoming the author of such novels as “Sometimes I Lie,” “His & Hers,” “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” and “Good Bad Girl.” Several of her books have been optioned for the screen including “His & Hers,” which stars Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson and is expected to air on Netflix this summer.
“I have loved the experience of having my books adapted, and I’m thrilled that Hidden Pictures is developing ‘Beautiful Ugly’,” Feeney said. “I had such a good feeling about them from the very first meeting, and I can’t wait to see Grady Green come to life on screen.”
Lieberman and Alex Young of Hidden Pictures will produce, while Feeney will serve as executive producer with David Glickman.
Hidden Pictures is currently filming a Paul Feig-directed adaptation of Freida McFadden’s novel “The Housemaid,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. The company is also producing Amazon MGM’s “Voltron,” with Rawson Marshall Thurber helming and Henry Cavill leading the cast.
Feeney is represented by Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown and WME. Hidden Pictures is represented by WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewe & Kole LLP.