The Searchlight-sanctioned project marks the actress’ feature film directorial debut, and the ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ helmer and writer’s second cinematic spin on a Bryan Lee O’Malley story.
After making her directorial debut with a Taylor Swift music video last year, actress Blake Lively is now set to helm her first feature -- an adaptation of the graphic novel Seconds, from Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lively will direct the film for Searchlight, from a screenplay written by Edgar Wright. Wright is of course no stranger to the world of O’Malley, having written and directed the 2010 feature adaptation of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” Wright will also produce Seconds, alongside Marc Platt.
Seconds gets its name from the restaurant founded by the story’s protagonist, Katie Clay. As her restaurant grows in popularity, Katie plans to open another one. But things get complicated when she encounters a mysterious spirit named Lis, who helps her discover the ability to rewrite the mistakes of her past by writing down them down in a notebook, eating a mushroom, and going to sleep. Katie’s excitement over this newfound power leads her to abuse it, and her actions unintentionally disrupt the space-time continuum.
Back in January, it was also confirmed that O’Malley and Wright would reunite for an anime adaptation of “Scott Pilgrim.” The series has not yet been ordered, but should it get the go-ahead, Tokyo-based studio Science SARU will provide the animation, with O’Malley and Wright set to executive produce alongside many others. (More on that pending project here.)
Published in 2014 by Random House’s Ballantine Books label, Seconds was O’Malley’s first graphic novel after the completion of the Scott Pilgrim series in 2010.
Max Weinstein is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He is the Editor-at-Large of 'Dread Central' and former Editorial Director of 'MovieMaker.' His work has been featured in 'Cineaste,' 'Fangoria,' 'Playboy,' 'Vice,' and 'The Week.'
