Spielberg & Abrams tap Lena Dunham to adapt refugee survival story film

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

As part of your unlikely team-up news for the day, Variety has exclusively revealed that GIRLS and CAMPING alumna Lena Dunham has been chosen by co-producers Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams to adapt an upcoming and emotional drama for the big screen. Based on the book A HOPE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SEA: ONE REFUGEE'S INCREDIBLE STORY OF LOVE, LOSS, AND SURVIVAL by author Melissa Fleming, chief spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner and Flatiron Books, the tale documents the true story of Doaa Al Zamel, a mother of two fleeing Egypt for Sweden by boat. Shipwrecked along the way, Al Zamel survived for days in open water holding her two small children in each arm with only the support of an inflatable water ring.

While Paramount Pictures is at the top of the mountain for this one, Spielberg's Amblin Partners and Abrams' Bad Robot will produce, with Arif Hussein coming aborad as executive producer. Meanwhile, Dunham's new CAMPING comedy series starring Jennifer Garner, David Tennant, and Juliette Lewis made its HBO debut earlier this month. In the series, which Dunham co-created with GIRLS producer Jenni Konner, a man's camping trip with his wife and friends spirals out of control. While reviews for the new series have been less than favorable, that hasn't kept Hollywood's biggest players from working alongside the ofttimes controversial Dunham.

Next up for Dunham is a role as a Gypsy in Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. The highly-anticipated comedic drama is set to tell the story of a faded TV actor and his stunt double who embark on an odyssey to make a name for themselves in the film industry during the Helter Skelter, a time when Charles Manson and his family laid claim to the Summer of '69 in Los Angeles.