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Cannes has a way of turning whispers into headlines. This year the loudest one follows a deal that reportedly tops $30 million: Paramount has moved to acquire film rights to Matt Haig’s beloved novel The Midnight Library, with Florence Pugh attached to play protagonist Nora Seed and Garth Davis set to direct.
The story is simple and strange: a woman trapped between life and death wanders a library where every book lets her peek at lives she might have lived. It’s the kind of high-concept, emotionally charged material studios dream of when art and commercial prospects align.
Paramount’s purchase — reportedly north of $30 million — could be the biggest sale to come out of this year’s Cannes film market.
StudioCanal is backing the project and will handle distribution in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Benelux region, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Paramount will distribute in the rest of the world, a split that suggests confidence in both the film’s global appeal and its commercial potential.
Davis and Pugh are not strangers. They recently collaborated on the upcoming limited Netflix series East of Eden, and Davis’s résumé — from the Oscar‑nominated Lion to Top of the Lake and the 2023 film Foe — gives the project a seasoned filmmaker’s touch.
Pugh is riding a remarkable run. After leading Marvel’s Thunderbolts last summer, she’s set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday later this year and has credits that include Dune: Part Two and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Her Academy Award nomination for Greta Gerwig’s Little Women still lingers as one of those career‑defining moments.
Blueprint’s Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin will produce alongside Pugh and Anita Overland. Ben Knight and Diarmuid McKeown of Blueprint are attached as executive producers, with Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Dan MacRae representing StudioCanal in producing roles.
Industry trackers have flagged this as one of the marquee purchases at Cannes. Puck first reported news of Paramount’s agreement, and insiders say the win capped a competitive market push for material that blends broad emotional stakes with literary pedigree.
There’s appetite for stories about second chances right now. Will a star like Pugh, a director like Davis, and a property with built‑in readers create the kind of film that lingers long after credits roll? Time — and ticket sales — will tell.
Source: hollywoodreporter
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