New Regency and RT Features will produce a movie adaptation of Nick Drnaso‘s Sabrina under pen and direction of Michael Sarnoski.
In a Deadline exclusive feature, a movie adaptation of Sabrina, a graphic novel by Nick Drnaso, is in development. Michael Sarnoski, the director of multi-award winning movie “Pig”, is on board to write and direct. Rodrigo Teixeira represents RT Features, the company that will produce the project alongside New Regency.
Michael Sarnoski To Adapt Nick Drnaso’s Sabrina Into A Movie
Image: Nick Drnaso
Sabrina is a 203-page graphic novel published May 2018 by Drawn & Quarterly. It is about Teddy’s struggle coming to grips on losing his girlfriend to murder. He moves to Colorado to stay with a friend, Calvin Stroebel, who in turn is also going through life difficulties. Various aspects of the novel explored the different ways people go through their own hardships. The story did not just focus on the murder of Sabrina but also how Teddy goes on with his life after the fact. Psychological angles are also played in the story as well as possible conspiracy theories and suspenseful storytelling.
Michael Sarnoski has his directorial debut with Pig starring Nicholas Cage. The story has somewhat a similar trope with the upcoming Sabrina. Both stories tell of a man’s loss of the love of his life. In Pig, Cage’s character Rob withdraws from society after the death of his wife. Rob found peace in the wilderness hunting for truffles with his foraging pig. One night, he encountered assailants who in turn stole his pig. Rob had to pursue the thieves and in doing so had to revisit the world he used to live in. The importance was not on getting his pig back to help him with his way of life. Rob came to value the pig as his sole companion in his life of recluse.
Michael Sarnoski To Adapt Nick Drnaso’s Sabrina Into A Movie
Image: Nick Drnaso
Sarnoski was able to capture the struggle and inner turmoil of Rob. Because of this, he would be able to successfully adapt Sabrina into a full feature movie. Teddy and Cal’s struggles and their day-to-day challenges are even more emphasized through the lens of technology in the story. In Pig, it was a struggle of one man. In Sabrina, aside from the struggle of two men, there is an aspect of suspense in the conspiracy behind the murder.
The project is still in its very early development, casting and production will later follow.
