Game of Thrones, Dredd, and Brothers Grimm star Lena Headey will make her directorial debut with a psychological thriller titled Violet.
Based on the novel of the same name by SJI Holliday, the story revolves around two women who embark on a life-changing trip that brings them close together until one of them reveals their true nature.
Per Fantastic Fiction, here is a synopsis for Holliday’s Violet novel:
Carrie’s best friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip they’d planned together, so Carrie decides to go it alone.
Violet is also traveling alone, after splitting up with her boyfriend in Thailand. She is desperate for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express, but there is nothing available.
When the two women meet in a Beijing Hotel, Carrie makes the impulsive decision to invite Violet to take her best friend’s place. Thrown together in a strange country, and the cramped cabin of the train, the women soon form a bond. But as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel – because one of these women is not who she claims to be….
According to producers, Headey’s Violet will include elements of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Single White Female, and Killing Eve. UK producer-financier Goldfinch Entertainment is along for the wild ride, which has a screenplay written by Gareth Pritchard, whose Sankara Pictures will co-produce with Mark Foligno (Golden Years) of Limelight CTL and Ben Charles Edwards (Father of Flies) and Phil McKenzie (Twist) of Goldfinch Entertainment. Ed Boase and Marcus Stamps from Dark Alliance Film executive produce, with production scheduled to begin in October.
“Susi’s Violet is a compulsive page-turner that stayed with me long after I finished the book — it’s exciting that my first feature as a director will be such an intense female thriller. It’s a wild ride to the finish with vast cinematic scope, centering around two very complex women who will completely unravel over the course of the film. I can’t wait to get rolling,” said Headey about adapting the novel.
“Goldfinch Entertainment exists to fuel incredible projects and creative leaps – and we’re excited to be supporting the multi-talented Lena Headey’s foray into feature directing with this irresistible and chilling female-fronted thriller. Gareth has deftly selected and adapted an impossible to put down book into a riveting exploration of a casual friendship that goes deeply awry – and we can’t wait to see it come to life on screen,” said McKenzie, Goldfinch’s Chief Operating Officer.
What do you think about the concept for Violet, and do you think Lena Headey’s talents will serve her well behind the camera? Let us know in the comments section below.