“Stepsister,” a re-imagined Cinderella story, is in the works as a movie with “A Star Is Born” producer Lynette Howell Taylor and “Big Little Lies” executive producer Bruna Papandrea.
Emma Frost, whose credit include “Shameless” and “The Spanish Princess,” will adapt the book, which will be published in the U.S. by Scholastic on Tuesday. The upcoming young adult book is an alternative fairy tale told from the point-of-view of one of Cinderella’s stepsisters, who examines the path she’s been pushed toward, tries to make amends and redefines strength and beauty on her own terms.
Endeavor Content acquired the film rights to “Stepsister” in 2017. Howell Taylor and Samantha Housman will produce for 51 Entertainment and Papandrea and Steve Hutensky will produce for Made Up Stories with the company’s Jeanne Snow serving as executive producer.
“Stepsister” has already sold in more than 15 languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, Brazilian, Portuguese and Russian. It will be published by Hot Key, an imprint of Bonnier Books, in the U.K. on May 15.
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Howell Taylor was nominated this year along with Bill Gerber and Bradley Cooper for an Academy Award for Best Picture for “A Star Is Born.” 51 Entertainment and Endeavor Content developed the feature “Lady Business” with Brie Larson, which is set up at Netflix.
Made Up Stories is partnering with Endeavor Content alongside Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films to adapt Liane Moriarty’s “Nine Perfect Strangers,” for which Hulu gave a straight-to-series order and is expected for release in late 2020.
Frost recently completed the screenplay for Focus Features’ “Switched On.” Her next project will be “All These Beautiful Strangers for Made Up Stories. She also recently wrote the screenplay for Ron Howard’s “Zelda,” which will star Jennifer Lawrence. Donnelly’s previous work includes “Lost in a Book,” which was on the New York Times best-seller list and was set in the world of “Beauty and the Beast.”
Frost is repped by Curtis Brown Group and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner and Gellman. Donnelly is repped by Writers House and WME. Papandrea is represented by WME.