Paramount Pictures has acquired North American and some international distribution rights to “Midnight Library” from Studio Canal following a bidding war at the Cannes Film Market. Florence Pugh will star and produce, and Garth Davis (“Lion”) will direct.
Studiocanal, a powerhouse production and distribution company that is part of Canal+ Group, will distribute the film through partners in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Scandinavia and South Africa, while Paramount will distribute in other major global markets. The film’s budget is expected to be in the $70 million range, and the selling price is expected to be significantly higher than the $30 million that has been reported elsewhere.
The script was written by Laura Wade and Nick Payne. It is a film adaptation of the widely popular novel (published by Canongate Books in 2020) that has sold 15 million copies worldwide and been translated into 56 languages.
Filming is expected to begin in early 2027, with Pugh starring as Nora Seed. She finds herself in a library between life and death, and has the opportunity to experience every life she could have lived.
The film once again teams Studiocanal and Blueprint Pictures as production partners. Previous collaborations include John Patton Ford’s How to Make a Killing, co-distributed by A24 and starring Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley. and Thea Sherlock’s “Wicked Little Letters,” starring Olivia Colman and Jesse Buckley.
“Like many people around the world, we are huge fans of Matt Haig’s novels, and we are honored to work with StudioCanal and Blueprint and the incredibly talented Garth Davis and Florence Pugh to bring this beloved story to the screen,” said Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg, co-chairmen of Paramount Pictures. “We would like to thank Leah Buman for bringing this exciting project to Paramount and hope this is the first of many collaborations with Anna Marsh and StudioCanal.
“Under the visionary direction of Garth Davis, Midnight Library is truly a film that transcends generations and resonates around the world. His films are emotionally deep, life-affirming and inherently cinematic,” said Anna Marsh, Studiocanal CEO and CANAL+ CCO.
“From our first conversations, Paramount demonstrated a deep understanding of the creative ambitions of the project, along with an extraordinary commitment to translating this great book to the big screen, both domestically and internationally,” Marsh continued.
The Midnight Library is Leah Buman’s team’s first acquisition since joining the company in December 2025. Buman recently joined Paramount from Tango. Segin Cloninger led negotiations with Paramount. Ann Sherrell and Asuka Yamaguchi led negotiations on behalf of Studio Canal.
Haig will serve as executive producer for Studiocanal alongside Marsh, Ron Halpern and Dan McRae.
