The Rule of Three: Smile producers bringing Sam Ripley horror novel to the screen

The Rule of Three, a horror novel by Sam Ripley, hasn’t been published yet, but Screen Gems has already come out the winning bidder in a competitive situation over the film rights, and they’re working with Smile producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill to bring the story to the screen. The search for a screenwriter is now underway.

Simon & Schuster UK will be publishing The Rule of Three in June, and Deadline reports that Emily Bestler at Simon & Schuster US recently pre-empted US rights in a six-figure deal. 

Sam Ripley is said to be a pseudonym for a well-established, bestselling British author “whose works have sold over a million copies globally.” Whoever they are, they have crafted the following story: Don’t forget The Rule of Three / It’s coming for you / Like it came for me. Can you change your own fate? That question haunts three women. As they become increasingly convinced that a mysterious urban myth called the Rule of Three is real, they must find a way to break the curse or be doomed to die like those who came before them. But when you’re not sure if what you think is happening is even the truth, how do you know if you are actually in danger? And if you don’t know, how will you be able to protect yourself? If death comes in threes, who will survive, and who will solve the Rule of Three?

According to Deadline, Temple Hill’s George Berman brought in the book and will oversee the development of the film adaptation with Ethan Cappello. Scott Strauss and Dan Primozic handled the deal for Screen Gems. Strauss will also oversee the project for the studio, along with Michael Bitar.

It’s not clear what exactly is going on in The Rule of Three, but it definitely sounds like the sort of horror movie we’ve been seeing a lot of in the last couple decades, so it makes sense that the film rights have been snatched up. I look forward to learning more about it, and hope to like this as much as I enjoyed Smile.

Does The Rule of Three sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.