Florence Pugh is set to star in a film adaptation of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, Deadline reports.
Haig’s bestselling novel, published in 2020 by Viking, follows Nora Seed, a woman who tries to take her own life after losing her job and her beloved cat. After overdosing on prescription medicine, she wakes up in a mysterious library full of books that chronicle alternate versions of her life. A critic for Kirkus called the novel “a whimsical fantasy about learning what’s important in life.”
Pugh, known for her roles in films including Midsommar and Little Women, will play Nora in the movie, which she is also producing. The film will be directed by Garth Davis (Lion, Mary Magdalene) and written by Laura Wade (The Riot Club) and Nick Payne (The Sense of an Ending). Haig is among the film’s executive producers.
Davis told Deadline, “[Pugh’s] warmth and talent are magical, and together I know we’ll do something special working with Matt’s iconic novel. This is a story that moves us both—a celebration of life in all its possibility and complexity.”
And Haig said, “I am so happy that Nora’s story is in such great hands, and that her myriad possibilities will be vividly reawakened by the absolute perfect team. And I can’t wait for people to see my book reimagined for the big screen.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
