Universal Pictures landed the film rights to “Panic,” the next young adult novel from Lauren Oliver ("Delirium"), in a bidding war.
The seven-figure deal closed on Monday night, according to an individual familiar with the negotiations. HarperCollins imprint Harper Teen will publish the book in spring 2014.
Marc Platt will produce the project for Universal, which is keeping plot details under wraps. Maradith Frenkel, Universal's VP of production, will oversee the project for the studio.
"Panic" is described as Oliver’s return to the realism and grittiness of her first novel “Before I Fall,” which was optioned in 2010 by Fox 2000.
“I’m thrilled about Universal's enthusiasm and passion for the project, and excited about the chance to bring this story to the big screen," said Oliver, who has earned a legion of fans for her New York Times bestselling "Delirium" trilogy.
The 30-year-old author has written seven books, and has been published in 34 countries.
Oliver is also the co-founder of the Paper Lantern Lit packaging company, which has sold 25 titles to major publishers to date. In fall 2014, she will also a release an adult novel from Ecco titled "Rooms."
Stephen Moore of the Paul Kohner Agency negotiated the deal in conjunction with Oliver’s literary agent, Stephen Barbara of Foundry Literary + Media. Adam Siegel and Claire Wihnyk handled the submission at Marc Platt Productions.
