THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK co-stars (from where the above image is from) will reunite under the direction of Susanne Bier (IN A BETTER WORLD) for an adaptation of the Ron Rash novel “where young newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton move to build a timber empire. Their ambition is all-consuming and dangerous — neither is afraid to kill or destroy anyone who opposes them — but they’re turned against each other when Serena finds she can’t bear children and then launches a deadly vendetta against her husband’s illegitimate son.” That sounds like something with a lot of meaty dramatic potential. The film once had Darren Aronofsky and Angelina Jolie attached to direct and star respectively. Imagine what that one would’ve been like.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the novel (via Amazon): The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains—but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons’ intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.