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Leila Slimani’s critically acclaimed, international bestseller “The Perfect Nanny” — aka “Chanson Douce” — is coming to the big screen.
Legendary has closed a deal for Paul Downs Colaizzo to adapt and direct the English-language adaptation.
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Legendary will produce the pic alongside Pascal Caucheteux of Why Not Productions and Philippe Godeau of Pan-Européenne.
The story follows Myriam, a lawyer who decides to return to work after having children. She and her husband think they’ve found the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau.
The novel was awarded France’s highest literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, in 2016, and translation rights sold in a bidding war in 40 territories. Its American edition is a national bestseller and made the New York Times Book Review’s 10 best books of the year list in 2018. In the U.K., “The Perfect Nanny,” titled “Lullaby,” won debut of the year at the British Book Awards 2019. It is widely praised for its thoughtful exploration of race and class divisions and perceptive character studies, amid the realization of a universal fear: the death of one’s children. The book was originally published by Gallimard in France in 2016 and by Penguin in the U.S. in 2018.
Colaizzo recently directed “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” which stars Jillian Bell and became a smash hit at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. It won the audience award for dramatic features and after a competitive bidding war, landed a $14 million deal with Amazon Studios. Prior to “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” he achieved early fame as a playwright for his first production, “Really Really,” which debuted to rave reviews at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va., and won the Helen Hayes Award for outstanding new play. After “Really Really,” Colaizzo continued playwriting, with his second production “Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill,” also premiering at Signature Theatre, before inking a deal with CBS TV.
He is repped by CAA.
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