Annabel Monaghan’s fifth novel, “Dolly All the Time,” will be adapted into a movie, the former Rye resident announced Thursday on social media.
A reported bidding war for the movie rights to the best-selling book came to an end this week, with Sony’s 3000 Pictures landing the opportunity to make the rom-com. The production company is Temple Hill, which teamed up with 3000 Pictures to adapt several popular books into movies, including “The Fault in Our Stars,” “The Hate U Give,” and the Emmy-nominated “People We Meet on Vacation.”
“I am so excited about this, and the enthusiasm coming from Temple Hill and Sony is contagious,” Monaghan told The Record on Friday. “My fingers are crossed that it all pans out; at this stage, a million things can still go wrong.”
Monaghan posted an article from Deadline about the deal to Instagram.
“Hello, Hollywood! Jaw-dropping news here, and my jaw has dropped hard!! Sony’s 3000 Pictures has acquired Dolly,” Monaghan wrote.
The former Rye Record columnist said her first movie deal won’t detract from her plans to pen more novels in the future.
“Besides something exciting to look forward to, this doesn’t change anything about the books I’m hoping to write over the next few years,” she told The Record.
Monaghan toured the country and Europe this summer after “Dolly All the Time” was named a GMA Pick by Good Morning America in June.
Gemma Burgess, who was hired to write the movie adaptation, previously adapted her own short story, “Doomed,” as a television series for Netflix and created the series “Smooth Criminals” along with “Liars,” and “Friends Like These.” She has written several novels of her own and may be best known as the showrunner for “My Lady Jane,” a popular series canceled by Amazon after only two seasons despite critical acclaim and devoted fans.
Producer Elizabeth Gabler for 3000 Pictures has had “great success” turning books into movies, according to the Deadline article Monaghan posted. Temple Hill also teamed up with 3000 Pictures to produce “Love,Simon,” a movie directed by Rye native Greg Berlanti.
Many more details are yet to come, such as production timelines, shooting locations, and release date. But Monaghan wasted no time prompting casting speculation.
“Lots of work to do, but can we skip to the fun part… Who do you want to see playing Dolly? Tell me!!!” Monaghan wrote.
