As The Hunger Games franchise continues to bring in the big bucks at the box office, movie studios are feeling increasingly confident when it comes to adapting Young Adult novels. Some have flopped of course, while the next one – Divergent – should help give us a better idea as to whether or not this is a genre which can truly find its footing.
Regardless, Lionsgate are now moving ahead with an adaptation of Jeanne Ryan’s Nerve. It tells the story of a high school senior wallflower who, in an attempt to broaden her horizons, joins a global online game of provocative truth or dare while an audience of “watchers” vote and comment. But as she becomes a sensation and advances higher and higher, the game evolves and soon she finds herself in a dangerous and life-ending situation.
It sounds like an extremely interesting premise, and the movie version has been written by American Horror Story’s Jessica Sharzer. Catfish directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have been brought on board to direct, and while their documentary about a Facebook faker gained plenty of critical acclaim, the financial success they found with the third and fourth Paranormal Activity movies has likely resulted in them making the leap to big budget blockbuster.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the duo are currently working on an untitled thriller for Blumhouse and are attached to direct The Monkey Wrench Gang, an adaptation of a 1975 Edward Abbey novel. When Nerve – a book which has been translated into six different languages – will begin shooting remains to be seen.
