Deadline has reported that studio Laika has landed the upcoming novel by Emily St. John Mandel, Exit Party. Emma Stone (La La Land, Easy A) and Dave McCary (A Real Pain, I Saw The TV Glow) will reportedly come aboard the show as executive producers from Fruit Tree. The deal was reportedly in the low seven figures.
According to Deadline, Exit Party will be Laika’s first live-action television series, which primarily operates in the world of stop-motion animation. Laika has been actively seeking and developing live-action projects for three years. The live-action television department is headed by Netflix alum Matt Levin (Tropic Thunder, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty). Exit Party was apparently the subject of a bidding war between several parties. In October, eight of ten studios were involved in the initial auction for the material, eventually slimming down to five. Mandel, the author of acclaimed novels Station Eleven and Sea Of Tranquilly, selected Laika due to their passion for the material. The book is set to be released in September.
Deadline has reported that Jac Schaffer, who was originally set to be the showrunner, had to step down due to commitments at Amazon. Fruit Tree and Laika are reportedly looking for new writers to helm the series. Madnel is still adapting the series. Fruit Tree’s head of television, Amy Hodge (Succession, Intruders) , will also be on the creative team from Fruit Trees with Alex Maggioni (Halo, Resident Alien) from Laika Live Action.
A logline for the series is as follows: “Exit Party is a story of doubles, shadow worlds and fractured timelines as a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman — a gunrunner, an art collector, an operative of the State — searches for answers,” via Deadline.
Maggioni spoke highly of Mandel and her work,“Emily is a singular talent whose work aligns deeply with Laika’s creative ethos,” said Laika’s Maggioni. “Partnering with Fruit Tree, with their incredible track record for bold and inventive projects, makes this all the more special, and we’re thrilled to bring this story to the screen together. From our very first read, we were struck by the beauty and depth of Exit Party. It is quintessentially Laika: character-driven, thematically rich, and visually imaginative with ambitious storytelling. Even though it’s set in the near future, it speaks directly to the world we’re living in now with such clarity and insight. At the core, it’s about the forces — both internal and external — that shape who we become, the role institutions play in that journey, and the enduring search for joy and hope in a fragmented world,” via Deadline.
Mandel responded with enthusiasm for the project in kind, “There were a lot of suitors for Exit Party, but Laika came in with tremendous passion for this project, and I felt from the first meeting that they were committed to partnering with me to adapt this novel for TV. I started working in television because I love the adaptation process — figuring out how to break apart a novel and put it back together for a new medium is one of my favorite things. With Laika and Fruit Tree, our shared creative vision and ambition are palpable, and I can’t wait to get to work,” via Deadline.
Deadline has reported that, in addition to Exit Party, Laika has developed several other live-action projects, including Atmosphere, from the filmmakers behind Captain Marvel, and a feature based on the best-selling novel, Audition.