EXCLUSIVE: Here is a hot package set to hit the market later this week that is sure to have a lot of studio execs losing their heads. Filmmaker and screenwriter Lindsey Anderson Beer has sold her debut novel, Hollow to Putnam, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and is now planning to turn that novel into a feature film with Sydney Sweeney attached to star.
Beer will direct and adapt the script. LuckyChap will produce along with Beer through her Lab Brew banner as well as Sweeney who will produce through her Honey Trap Banner. The project will be Honey Trap’s first official film it will produce following the announcement the company, which Deadline broke yesterday.
As for the novel, Putnam, which has a track record of launching more bestsellers than any other publishing house, made the major preemptive acquisition that took the project off the market before it could proceed to auction. Sources say the novel generated significant industry competition immediately upon submission.
The novel is a bold reimagining of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, told through the perspective of Katrina Van Tassel. Reframing one of literature’s most iconic heroines, the novel positions Van Tassel not as a romantic prize, but as the central figure in a dangerous mystery and seductive supernatural love triangle. The story blends gothic atmosphere, psychological intrigue, and erotic thriller elements into a contemporary, high-concept reinvention of the classic tale.
Sweeney will play Van Tassel in the feature version. The novel is being fast-tracked for publication and is scheduled for release in Fall 2027, timed to align with development of a feature film adaptation.
The book quickly hit studio book scout lists and the film adaptation has generated significant interest ahead of reads. The material aligns closely with all parties mandates and visions and leading to Sweeney, Honey Trap and LuckyChap all committing in record time.
RELATED: ‘The Housemaid’s Secret’: Kirsten Dunst Joins Sydney Sweeney In Lionsgate Sequel
Sources say the package will hopefully hit the market officially as soon as this week.
Sweeney is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Beer is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and WME and LuckyChap is repped by CAA and Entertainment 360.
