With one franchise already in her back pocket, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” star Daisy Ridley is eyeing another popular series, this time in the YA genre.
Ridley is attached to star in Lionsgate‘s adaptation of popular young adult novel “Chaos Walking” by Patrick Ness. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed the casting Thursday on the company’s earnings call with Wall Street analysts, saying that film would go into production next year
Doug Liman is signed on as director. Jamie Linden penned the most recent script with Allison Shearmur and Doug Davison producing.
“Chaos Walking: The Knife of Never Letting Go,” published in 2008 as the first book in a trilogy, is set in a dystopian world where all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts.
The book is centered on the only boy in a town of men, who makes a startling discovery that forces him to flee with only his dog in hand. With the townspeople in pursuit, the duo stumbles upon a strange and silent girl. They set off on a white-knuckle journey in which the boy must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
All three “Chaos Walking” titles have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, with the final “Monsters of Men” winning in 2011.
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Ridley has already wrapped production on the next “Star Wars” but was already filling her schedule for any down time that was expected for the next year. She recently attached herself to the remake of the Israel pic “Kolma” that J.J. Abrams is producing and is also on board to star in “The Lost Wife” from producer Robbie Brenner.
She is repped by CAA.
