Saint Clare: Bella Thorne to play homicidal Catholic schoolgirl in Clare At 16 adaptation

Last Updated on August 9, 2022

A few years ago, it was announced that Mark Pavia, the filmmaker behind the 1997 Stephen King adaptation The Night Flier, would be writing and directing an adaptation of Don Roff’s novel Clare At 16. Pavia even got Riverdale star Madelaine Petsch to sign on to play the title character. But apparently the project slipped out of Pavia’s grasp, because the Clare At 16 adaptation is now coming to us from Dying to Play (a.k.a. Braid) director Mitzi Peirone. The title has changed to Saint Clare, and Bella Thorne (Infamous) is on board to play the title character.

The Don Roff novel told the following story:

The small town of Pickman Flats offers a bright sunny place filled with quaint shopping and wine tasting. But underneath the town’s inviting exterior lies a dark underbelly, a sinister element that lurks in the shadows. Clare is a devoted vegan who goes to Catholic high school, is fastidious in her manner, and also, well, a serial killer. The Other Clare takes over at the most inopportune of times. She tries to keep her inner beast’s lust for blood at bay, but it’s hard when there are so many creeps around who help to unleash it. What secret lies hidden beneath Pickman Flats? And who is Clare really?

Scripted by Peirone and American Psycho co-writer Guinevere Turner, Saint Clare will follow

Clare Bleecker (Thorne), a quiet Catholic college student with a divine vocation for killing.

Rebecca DeMornay (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) is in talks to join the cast. Saint Clare is expected to start filming in Kentucky soon.

David Chackler, Arielle Elwes, Thor Bradwell, and Joel Michaely are producing the film. Cassian Elwes, Seth Needle, Mark Damon, Tamara Birkemoe, Veronica Radaelli, Tom Culliver, Nadia Redler, Dave Sereny, and Jere Hausfater serve as executive producers. Screen Media will be distributing Saint Clare in the United States and will be presenting the project to international buyers at the Cannes market.

Arielle Elwes confirmed to Deadline that they’re aiming to start a franchise with Saint Clare. Roff is ready to provide the source material, as he has already written a second Clare novel that will be published in 2023.