Netflix is in the final stages of closing a $50 million global rights deal for “Pain Hustlers,” a new drama helmed by David Yates and starring Emily Blunt, Variety reports. The sale is the biggest yet out of Cannes this year.
Acclaimed short story and nonfiction writer Wells Tower (“Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned”) will be penning the script. The project — which is described as tonally similar to “The Big Short,” “American Hustle” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” — follows high school dropout Liza (Blunt), who has bigger ambitions for herself and her young daughter. She then lands a job at an ailing pharmaceutical startup in Central Florida, where her charm and grit catapult her to the top and she soon finds herself embroiled in a deadly criminal conspiracy.
“‘Pain Hustlers’ is a hilarious, dramatic and wild journey to the corrupt heart of the American dream,” the official logline reads.
Lawrence Grey is producing the film through his Grey Matter Productions, alongside David Yates and Yvonne Walcott Yates’ Wychwood Pictures. Executive producers are Lewis Taylor and Ben Everard, with Cyrus Mojibi, Patrick Wade, Lawrence Kao and Lloyd Everard serving as co-producers.
Blunt is a Golden Globe-winning and BAFTA-nominated actress, whose credits include “Edge of Tomorrow,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “A Quiet Place,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Sicario” and more. Yates is known for directing the final four films in the massive “Harry Potter” franchise, as well as the related “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” installments.
The acquisition is a bright spot for Netflix, which has been hemorrhaging subscribers, leading to dropped stocks and massive layoffs. Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment from TheWrap.
Production on “Pain Hustlers” is set to begin Aug. 22.
Deadline first reported the news.
