EXCLUSIVE: Tessa Thompson (Hedda) has attached to produce and star in A Separation, a feature adaptation of Katie Kitamura‘s bestseller to be written and directed by Cannes award winner Jonas Carpignano (A Chiara, Mediterranea).
Published by Riverhead Books in 2017, A Separation is the story of a woman who reluctantly travels from London to an isolated peninsula in southern Greece to find her estranged husband who has gone missing. Full of suspense and quiet turmoil, the book is about the mysteries of intimacy and slippery grief that comes in the wake of a marriage that ends.
In addition to Thompson, Riva Marker will produce for Linden Productions, along with Kishori Rajan of Viva Maude, and Greta Caruso, and Christos V. Konstantakopoulos of Faliro House. Anonymous Content’s David Levine will exec produce.
The project reunites Thompson with Linden following their work on Is God Is, Aleshea Harris’ thriller adapting her award-winning stage play, which releases May 15 via Orion Pictures. Linden also reunites with Faliro House after their collaboration on David Adjmi’s Stereophonic, the most-nominated play in the history of the Tonys, which took home five awards including Best Play in 2024.
In a joint statement, the producers told Deadline: “In A Separation, Kitamura unflinchingly explores the complexities of class, race and fidelity with her trademark elegance and fearlessness. We could not be more thrilled to collaborate on such an evocative story.”
Kitamura said, for her part: “Jonas and Tessa are two of the boldest and most original artists working today. I feel very lucky to be part of this extraordinary collaboration, and to be working with such an exceptional team of producers to bring this novel onto the big screen.”
Thompson is coming off a starring role opposite Jon Bernthal in His & Hers, Netflix’s murder mystery based on the Alice Feeney novel, which her Viva Maude produced. Under a first-look film deal with Amazon MGM, the company also recently teamed with Plan B to produce Hedda, Nia DaCosta’s reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler for Orion Pictures. Led by Thompson, the film premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Drama. Among Viva Maude’s other upcoming projects is an adaptation of Raven Leilani’s debut novel, Luster.
Carpignano is the filmmaker known for Mediterranea, A Ciambra, and A Chiara, a renowned trilogy examining modern-day southern Italy from the perspective of three young people from different marginalized communities. Mediterranea screened to critical acclaim at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, with his 2017 follow-up A Ciambra being put forward as Italy’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. A Chiara had its world premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2021 and went on to U.S. distribution through Neon.
A Separation author Kitamura most recently published Audition, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and is being adapted by Lulu Wang with Higher Ground and Laika.
Other projects in development at Linden include Alyssa Hill’s adaptation Zygote with Jennifer Garner attached to star; a series adaptation of Emma Rosenblum’s bestseller Bad Summer People with Sarah Michelle Gellar; Jen Silverman’s film adaptation of Sarah Blakely-Cartwright’s book Alice Sadie Celine; a stage adaptation of Eliza Kennedy’s book Lucky Night; Yes Day 2 at Netflix with Garner reprising; as well as Mrs. Claus with Netflix and Hello Sunshine.
Faliro House has produced and co-produced more than 90 films including the Academy Award-nominated titles Before Midnight by Richard Linklater, The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos and The Lost Daughter by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Recent works include Harvest by Athina Rachel Tsangari, A Sad and Beautiful World by Cyril Aris, and Exergue – on Documenta 14 by Dimitris Athiridis.
Recent titles from Anonymous Content’s AC Studios include the Oscar-nominated Nickel Boys and Golden Globe nominees True Detective: Night Country and Disclaimer. Upcoming projects include Netflix’s East of Eden starring Florence Pugh and Apple’s Neuromancer starring Callum Turner.
Thompson is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Carpignano by WME and Lichter Grossman,Nichols; and Kitamura by Trident Media Group and Anonymous Content.
