Misha Green and Jurnee Smollett will embark on their third collaboration with Green’s feature directorial debut, “Sunflower.”
The Lionsgate film has been described as a thriller about two women who attempt to escape from a remote sunflower farm, where they are being held hostage by a deranged college professor.
Green will write and direct, as well as produce along with Craig Flores (“Crawl,” “300”). Production is slated to begin this summer.
“’Sunflower’ was the first script I sold when I landed in Hollywood, and now having the opportunity to make it my first feature directorial outing feels like kismet,” said Green in a statement. “I couldn’t have hoped for better partners and collaborators than Nathan, the Lionsgate team, Craig, and Jurnee to help me shepherd it to the big screen.”
“Everyone at our studio was completely drawn in by the way Misha, Jurnee, and the ‘Lovecraft Country’ team worked so confidently to create a compelling genre series – then subverted the genre and reinvented it through a new lens,” said Nathan Kahane, President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “That’s the opportunity with ‘Sunflower.’ The screenplay is unique, thrilling, and flat-out scary. It’s going to make a hell of a movie.”
Green is best known for creating and executive producing the series “Underground” and “Lovecraft Country,” which was nominated for 18 Emmys, winning two. She’ll next write and produce “The Mother,” starring Jennifer Lopez, Gael García Bernal and Joseph Fiennes. The Netflix film will release later this year.
In addition to starring in “Lovecraft Country,” Smollett’s recent credits include “Birds of Prey,” “Spiderhead,” and “Lou,” which she also executive produced. Next up, she’ll star in “The Burial” opposite Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones for “Novitiate” director Maggie Betts.
Meredith Wieck and Aaron Edmonds will oversee “Sunflower” for Lionsgate. The deals were negotiated for the studio by Dan Freedman.
Green is represented by CAA, Range Media Partners, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang. Smollett is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang.
