Laura van den Berg’s The Third Hotel is headed to the big screen, Deadline reports.
Van den Berg’s novel, published in 2018 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, tells the story of Clare, a woman who goes to a film festival in Havana and sees her husband, Richard, who was killed in a hit-and-run five weeks earlier. She follows him throughout the city while reflecting on moments from her past. A critic for Kirkus called the book “gorgeously haunting and wholly original; a novel that rewards patience.”
Michelle Garza Cervera (Huesera: The Bone Woman, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) is on board to direct the film adaptation from a screenplay written by Isa Mazzei (Cam).
Mazzei told Deadline, “The book is wonderfully surreal and deeply unsettling in a way that lingered with me. I’m excited to be able to translate that feeling into a cinematic experience, and I feel lucky to be collaborating with such a thoughtful and talented team.”
Van den Berg’s short story “Your Second Wife,” collected in her 2020 book, I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, is currently being developed as a television series by Max, with Jamie Rosengard on board as the showrunner.
Van den Berg shared news of the Third Hotel adaptation on Instagram, writing, “Happy news for a book that is forever close to my heart! @mgarzacervera & @isaiswrong are the dream team. Can’t wait.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
