Netflix Developing Tillie Cole Bestseller ‘A Thousand Boy Kisses’ For Film; Stephen Chbosky To Direct
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix is developing a feature adaptation of A Thousand Boy Kisses, the bestselling novel written by the UK’s Tillie Cole, sources tell Deadline.
Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) will direct from a script by Liz Maccie (Siren), with David Hoberman producing for Hobie Films. The project marks a reteam for Chbosky and Maccie on the heels of Nonnas, the comedy starring Vince Vaughn for Fifth Season, 1Community and Madison Wells, on which we were first to report.
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Originally published by Bloom Books in 2016, the novel’s protagonist is seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen, who in returning from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation? Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.
An international phenomenon, A Thousand Boy Kisses was on the New York Times bestseller list for seven months. A sequel from Cole will be published later this year.
Coming off of the aforementioned Nonnas, Chbosky is best known for directing hit adaptations of the beloved novels The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Wonder for Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate, respectively. Previously, he also directed an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen for Universal, which starred original Broadway cast member Ben Platt.
Maccie was a writer and co-producer on Freeform’s fantasy drama Siren, which ran for three seasons. In addition to Nonnas, she’s penned titles like A Loud House Christmas, Black and Blue, and The Thirst.
A New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author active in the romance, chick-lit, and young adult genres, Cole has written several successful novel series, the most famous of which are the Hades Hangmen series and the Sweet Home series.
Veteran producer Hoberman launched Hobie Films in the spring of 2023, as we were first to report. While overseeing the company, he’s continuing to develop for Mandeville Films, the storied production company that he founded in 1995 and co-owns with Todd Lieberman.
Chbosky is represented by WME and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; Maccie by Gersh and Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment; and Cole by WME and MacIntosh & Otis.
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