Florence Pugh's 'Midnight Library' Sparks Bidding War

Multiple studios are engaged in a fierce bidding war for the rights to Florence Pugh's upcoming fantasy drama, 'The Midnight Library.' Directed by Garth Davis, the film is anticipated to be the most significant deal to emerge from the current Cannes market. Paramount, Focus, and Sony are among the contenders for domestic and select international rights to the approximately $70 million production.

The movie centers on Nora Seed, portrayed by Pugh, who discovers a library situated between life and death. This unique setting offers her the opportunity to explore all the potential lives she could have led, presented as a "love letter to life."

Based on Matt Haig's widely successful novel, which has sold 15 million copies and been translated into 56 languages, the project has garnered positive attention from buyers at Cannes. The novel's screenplay is penned by Olivier Award winner Laura Wade and Tony nominee Nick Payne. Pre-production is slated to commence this fall, with filming scheduled for early 2027.

Studiocanal and Blueprint Pictures are backing the project. Studiocanal, handling worldwide sales, is expected to retain rights for its own territories, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. This marks one of the Euro studio's largest-budget projects in recent times.