Keen to jump-start its brand new YA franchise – particularly now that The Divergent Series is hobbling toward a finale that will play out on the small-screen – Lionsgate is busy poaching talent for what could potentially be its next big thing, Chaos Walking.
An adaptation of Patrick Ness’ novel of the same name, the studio’s CEO Jon Feltheimer announced in an earnings call – as relayed by Variety – that Daisy Ridley, the actress who stole hearts in last year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has signed on to join director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow).
Chaos Walking is actually the name of Ness’ sci-fi trilogy with the first installment, The Knife of Never Letting Go, set to be adapted first. Truth be told, it’s a novel series that has flirted with the big-screen multiple times in the past, when screenwriter Jamie Linden and even Charlie Kaufman were attached at various stages.
As one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood, landing Daisy Ridley is certainly a major coup for Lionsgate, and you can get the general gist of what the studio is cooking up via the official synopsis, below.
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn’t she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd’s gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
Though we await an official statement, sources close to Lionsgate suggest Daisy Ridley is in line to play Viola Eade in Chaos Walking. Meanwhile, the up-and-comer will reprise her defining role in Star Wars: Episode VIII when it shoots into theaters in December of 2017.
