Author Gillian Flynn Goes Three-for-Three on Adaptations as Fox Picks Up Her Latest, ‘Gone Girl’

By  · Published on July 12th, 2012

That did not take long. Author Gillian Flynn’s third novel, “Gone Girl,” only hit shelves on June 5, but it’s already the talk of the publishing world and a bonafide must-read that’s poised to be the breakout novel of the summer (it’s also at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list). Flynn’s no stranger to signing deals to adapt her clever and dark novels (her “Sharp Objects” was optioned by Alliance and Amy Adams is set to star in a film version of “Dark Places”), but even she must be reeling at the news out of Comic-Con that “Gone Girl” has been snapped up by 20th Century Fox for a cool seven figures.

Deadline Del Mar reports that Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea, and Leslie Dixon will produce the film, with a script coming from Flynn herself. The book was reportedly a hot auction, with other studios like Universal hoping to snap up the rights. The outlet also speculates that the recent “Fifty Shades Of Grey action has elevated interest in bestsellers geared to female readers.” While the book certainly involves women (it centers on a woman who goes missing), it’s by no means some sort of “Fifty Shades” knock-off, as Flynn specializes in wicked suspense thrillers that appeal to a wide variety of readers.

Having just finished reading “Dark Places,” I can testify to the inherent cinematic elements of Flynn’s work (and you better believe “Gone Girl” is my next read). “Gone Girl” focuses on the disappearance of Amy Dunne on the day of her fifth wedding anniversary. Amy’s sudden disappearance obviously stirs up a lot of questions, and her husband, Nick Dunne, soon finds himself as the primary suspect of Amy’s maybe-murder. You can read the first few pages of “Gone Girl” over at Amazon.