Post ‘1917’ Oscar Success, Sam Mendes & Pippa Harris’ ‘Beautiful Ruins’ Moves From Fox 2000 To Amblin

Anthony D'Alessandro
·2 min read

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EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of 1917 winning three Oscars and its soon to be $300M+ success at the global box office, Amblin Partners is reteaming with Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes’ Neal Street Productions for an adaptation of the Jess Walter New York Times bestseller Beautiful Ruins. Amblin takes over from Fox 2000 as the studio on the project. This is not a project that Mendes will direct. Amblin and Neal Street are currently winnowing the list of potential helmers.

Walter’s book is set in an Italian seaside village off the Ligurian Sea in 1962. There a charming young man runs a hotel with no guests, until one day an American starlet, fresh from the set of Cleopatra, appears and captures his heart. Five decades later in Hollywood, a jaded assistant to a powerhouse producer gets caught up in the magic of his story, and takes it upon herself to find a happy ending. The script is being written by Mark Hammer (Two Night Stand) and Chiara Atik (Superstore), based on an earlier draft by Micah Fitzerman-Blue (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Transparent) and Noah Harpster (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Transparent).

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Neal Street’s Harris and Mendes will produce with Julie Pastor (1917, Informer). Nicolas Brown (Informer, Britannia) is executive producing. Amblin Partners’ President of Production, Jeb Brody, will oversee for the studio, along with Mia Maniscalco, VP of Creative Affairs.

“Collaborating with Sam, Pippa and Neal Street to make 1917 was incredibly rewarding and enjoyable, so when the opportunity arose to work with them again to adapt this beautiful story for the big screen, we didn’t hesitate,” said Brody. “I’ve admired Beautiful Ruins for many years and am very pleased to be making it here at Amblin.”

Said Harris: “Sam and I can think of no better home than Amblin for the wildly romantic and cinematic Beautiful Ruins. Steven, Jeff, Jeb and the entire Amblin team were the most brilliant partners on 1917 and we are thrilled they share our passion for this film.”

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