Actress Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense,” “Little Miss Sunshine”) and her newly formed production shingle, Vocab Films, have partnered with RadicalMedia (“MARS,” “Abstract: The Art of Design,” What Happened, Miss Simone?”) to develop Julia Dahl’s “Invisible City.”
Collette optioned the psychological murder mystery that delves into Brooklyn’s old-world, ultra orthodox, Hasidic Jewish community. She will serve as executive producer and has written the pilot. Jen Turner will executive produce with Jon Kamen, Jon Doran, and Justin Wilkes serving as executive producers for RadicalMedia.
The first of the wildly popular Julia Dahl novels, “Invisible City” (Minotaur Books) follows Rebekah Roberts, an aspiring young journalist new to New York City, whose mother, a wayward Hasidic Jew from Borough Park Brooklyn, abandoned her and her Christian father shortly after she was born in order to return to her religion and community. Neither Rebekah nor her father have heard from her since, but when Rebekah is called to cover the story of a murdered Hasidic woman she finds that the search for the truth will draw her deep into the cloistered world where her mother grew up–a world where it’s clear Rebekah is not welcome and everyone has secrets to keep from outsiders, even if it means the murderer could go free.
“I love Julia Dahl’s novel because it’s about fighting for personal freedom and living an authentic life. It couldn’t be a more relevant time to tell this story about acceptance and integration, or lack thereof. These complex female characters are honest, flawed and inspiring. We can always use more of those,” Collette remarked.
“We are beyond excited to be teaming up with Toni as we continue our expansion into scripted work. We are storytellers at heart and so Toni is the perfect artistic collaborator–she’s passionate, smart, and knows what makes a great complex character and an absorbing story,” said Justin Wilkes, RadicalMedia, president of Entertainment.
In this riveting debut novel, Dahl, a crime and justice journalist by profession, introduced a compelling new character in search of the truth about a murder and an understanding of her own heritage. “Invisible City” won the Barry, the Shamus and the Macavity Awards for Best First Novel, was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award and the Thriller Award for Best First Novel and was named one of Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2014. Two more Rebekah Roberts books have been published in the series.
Collette is repped by manager (and producing partner) Turner at Finley Management, CAA, United Management in Australia and the Jackoway Tyerman law firm.
Julia Dahl is represented by Stephanie Rostan at Levine Greenberg Rostan, and Eric Brooks at Bloom, Hergott.
