EXCLUSIVE:Stampede VenturesandWattpad Webtoon Studioswill team for a feature adaptation ofChasing Red, the YA romance webnovel by Isabelle Ronin that has garnered huge attention on the digital publishing platform, Wattpad.
Jessika Borsiczky(Sex/Life) has been set to direct from a screenplay by Lauren Schacher (Hooking Up), and casting is now underway.
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Chasing Redtells the story of straight-A student Veronica, who refuses to be college heartthrob Calebs next conquest, even after a chance encounter sparks an undeniable attraction between them.
Jessika BorsiczkyGetty Images
But with nowhere to stay and on the run from a recent tragedy, Veronica finds herself in need of Calebs help, despite the secrets of their pasts threatening to tear them apart.
Wattpads #2 English-language property, following the massively popularAfterseries from Anna Todd, the webnovel has garnered over 260 million reads since its publication in 2017.
Its been published in print in seven languages, and has also been adapted into a Webtoon webcomic with over 6.9M views and new chapters debuting weekly.
Producers on the feature take include Stampede Ventures Greg Silverman and Jon Berg, as well as Wattpad Webtoon Studios Aron Levitz and Lindsey Weems Ramey.
Exec producers include Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross, and Grant Torre from Stampede and David Madden from Wattpad Webtoon.
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Said Stampede Ventures Berg on behalf of the company, We are thrilled to be making a movie from Isabelles wildly popular book series.Chasing Redhas a passionate global fandom, with over 260 million reads online.
With the incredibly talented Jessika Borsiczky, were going to make a sexy and vibrant film bringing Red and Caleb into real life from the page!
Wattpad Webtoon Studios Head of Global Entertainment, Madden, said that givenChasing Reds extraordinary popularity over the years on Wattpad, the fact that we were able to adapt it first into a Webtoon webcomic and now into a live-action film is a perfect example of our mission to help our creators like Isabelle build franchises and fandoms across formats.
The exec added that his company is thrilled to work with the excellent producing team at Stampede Ventures, also noting that Jessika is both an old friend and a sensitive and passionate director.
Romance on screens has never been bigger, and this adaptation will be exactly what romance lovers are clamoring for.
Best known for directing and exec producing the Netflix seriesSex/Lifestarring Sarah Shahi, Borsiczky has also fulfilled those duties on shows including LifetimesUnREALand ShowtimesHouse of Lies.
She wrote on and exec produced Peacocks Renee Zellweger true crime vehicleThe Thing About Pamand has also helmed episodes of shows likeLuciferandCloak & Dagger.
Most recently seeing the release of projects including the MTV Studios-acquired YA featurePink Skies Aheadstarring Jessica Barden, as well as the Netflix docThe Saint of Second Chancesfrom Morgan Neville and Jeff Malmberg, Stampedes next film on the docket isOrdinary Angels, the true-life drama starring Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson that will be released by Lionsgate on February 23.
The company will next year release its Emma Roberts rom-comSpace Cadetthrough Amazon Prime International and is currently in production on Anderson .Paaks directorial debutK-Pops!.
Wattpad Webtoon Studios is the fan-driven global entertainment and publishing arm for online publishers Wattpad and Webtoon, which as of July had a combined audience of more than 182 million.
Current projects in the works there include an animated series based on the Webtoon sensationLore Olympus, which has amassed more than 1.5 billion views to date, with The Jim Henson Company; an adaptation of the Webtoon comicLove Advice from the Great Duke of Hellwith Imagine Entertainment;Hawk, with MCU scribe Christopher Yost, based on the sci-fi Wattpad webnovel; Deanna Camerons webnovel thrillerWhat Happened That Night, adapted byChildren of Mens David Arata; andFloat, starring Robbie Amell and Andrea Bang, with Lionsgate, Collective Pictures, and Brightlight Pictures.
Borsiczky is represented by A3 Artists Agency, manager Rick Lefitz, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Schacher by Artists First and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.
