Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese is teaming up with Studiocanal to produce a film adaptation of the mystery novel What Happens at Night, Deadline reports. Oscar nominated writer Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal) is handling the screenplay adaptation.
Written by Peter Cameron, the 2020 novel What Happens at Night (pick up a copy HERE) is described as a dream-like story of a married American couple who travel to a small, snowy European town to adopt a baby. The couple check into a cavernous, largely deserted hotel where they encounter an enigmatic cast of characters including a flamboyant chanteuse, a depraved businessman and a charismatic faith healer. Nothing is quite as it seems in this strange, frozen world. As the couple struggle to claim their baby, the less they seem to know about themselves and the life they’ve built together.
Deadline goes on to note that the book has drawn comparisons to The Shining, the works of David Lynch and Patricia Highsmith, and Scorsese’s own Shutter Island.
Studiocanal is financing the What Happens at Night adaptation, with Aaron Ensweiler and Shana Eddy overseeing the project for the company.
Cameron had this to say about the adaptation: “I could not be more honoured or delighted to have my novel optioned by Aaron Ensweiler and Shana Eddy at Studiocanal. And to have Martin Scorsese and Patrick Marber, two artists whose talents amaze me, re-imagining and recreating What Happens at Night is simply as good as it gets.“
Marber added: “I’m so thrilled and so excited to be working with the legendary Martin Scorsese to bring Peter Cameron’s astonishing and beautiful story to the screen.“
And Ensweiler and Eddy provided the following statement: “Every now and then a project comes along that reminds you why you fell in love with cinema. This is one of those projects. Peter Cameron’s hauntingly beautiful novel captured our imaginations from the first page. The opportunity to shepherd its adaptation is an honour, and the chance to do so with Martin and Patrick is a privilege of the highest order.“
Have you read What Happens at Night? If so, what do you think of the book getting a film adaptation with Martin Scorsese producing? Let us know by leaving a comment below.