Simon Kinberg’s Genre Films And Amazon Studios Land Rights To Novella ‘DNA’; Julian Meiojas To Adapt

Justin Kroll
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Simon Kinberg’s Genre Films and Amazon Studios have partnered to develop the illustrated novella DNA (“Death Notification Agency”) following a competitive situation for the film rights. Genre’s Kinberg and Audrey Chon will produce alongside Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder and Jay Schuminsky, who published the original illustrated novella via their company NeoText.

Julian Meiojas will adapt the script based on the series of novellas he created. An established TV writer, this will be Meiojas’ first foray into film.

DNA is a genre-bending thrill ride set in a world where people are informed of their death 24 hours in advance by an organization known as the Death Notification Agency. We follow an ex-detective process server who, after being informed of his own death, goes on the run across a dystopian United States to uncover a larger conspiracy.

Genre Films was founded in 2010 by director-writer-producer Kinberg and under the banner he produced many films within the mainline X-Men franchise along with spinoffs Logan and Deadpool and original film The Martian.

Kinberg has the spy thriller The 355, which he wrote and directed and stars Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bingbing; it will be released by Universal on January 15. He is also in the midst of working with director Jason Bateman on his spec script Here Comes the Flood for Netflix and recently sold an untitled Idris Elba/Africa-set spy romance project to Apple.

Meiojas is an electric Latinx drama and thriller writer currently serving as co-executive producer on the Amazon Original Jack Ryan. He’s coming off a co-EP role on HBO Max’s Raised by Wolves for director Ridley Scott and creator Aaron Guzikowski. He is also developing his original real-time anthology thriller, One Night, for Hulu and director David Leitch.

NeoText, founded by Ackerman, Schoenfelder and Schuminsky, is a publisher of quality fiction and non-fiction released digitally. The company launched in September and recently completed a deal with AMC TV for the NeoText novella Sorcerers, by Maurice Broaddus and Otis Whitaker with art by Jim Mahfood.

“Death Notification Agency by Julian Meiojas is a laser-powered sci-fi noir action of the highest order,” said the NeoText execs. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to keep building the DNA book series and brand with Amazon, Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon as Julian adapts Ram’s saga for film.”

Kinberg is represented by CAA and attorney Karl Austen. Meiojas is repped by Grandview and attorney Jeff Hynick.

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