Gautam Anand
Olivia Wilde’s thriller ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ has found a new home, as New Line has won the deal to finance and distribute the movie. The actress is directing and starring in the film. Deadline first reported the news of what has been one of the widest-ranging film spec script auctions of this year.
As we had previously reported, the bidders for the films included the likes of Netflix and production houses like Legendary, MGM, Village Roadshow Pictures and the Universal-based Blumhouse. From a total of 18 bidders, the numbers came down to six, and then 3, before Wilde finally decided to go with New Line, who had been aggressive right from the start. In case you are wondering why Olivia Wilde’s upcoming film has attracted so many bids, it is because she is coming off a highly praised directorial debut with ‘Booksmart‘. What also helps is the fact that a film like ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is a smart concept and comes at the right moment in the Times Up era. Moreover, it can also be executed within a reasonable budget. All these factors put together makes the movie the perfect recipe to be a breakout hit, warranting a follow-up. New Line is going to finance ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ in the $20 million budget range and Daria Cercek, the EVP of Production, and Celia Khong, the creative executive, will oversee the project.
‘Don’t Worry Darling’ has a script from Katie Silberman, who rewrote it after taking over from Shane and Carey Van Dyke. Notably, Wilde and Silberman have worked together in ‘Booksmart’. The two are producing ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ along with Roy Lee and Miri Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment. Catherine Hardwicke is on board as the executive producer. The plot of ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ revolves around a woman who finds that underneath the perfect veneer of her married life, the reality is something murkier. Set in the 1950s, the psychological thriller explores the disturbing truth that lies underneath something we consider to be perfect. Notably, the buyers have been impressed by the way Silberman has rewritten the script to fit Wilde’s vision. An executive involved in the bidding process commented that this bidding war “speaks to the lack of good material out there. Anything that is unique will generate interest.”
Although the auction was a fiercely fought, it took longer than usual because Olivia Wilde has been tied up with shooting for the upcoming Clint Eastwood movie and was away working on ‘The Ballad of Richard Jewell’, which is slated to release in 2020. However, this did not stop her from providing a strong director statement and various other materials that managed to convey her vision to the buyers. ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ marks the second splashy sale for Olivia Wilde and Silberman, who were part of a bidding auction with six studios involved for an untitled holiday comedy film from the duo. Universal ended up winning that auction.
