Susanna Fogel, Michelle Ashford, & Emilia Jones Are Bringing “Cat Person” to the Big Screen
Hot off the buzziest title of Sundance 2021, Emilia Jones has signed on to “Cat Person.” The “CODA” breakout will topline Susanna Fogel’s adaptation of Kristen Roupenian’s viral New Yorker short story that explores consent and gender dynamics. Screen Daily confirmed the news.
Written by “Masters of Sex” creator Michelle Ashford, the psychological thriller will tell the story of Margot (Jones), a 20-year-old college student who develops a relationship with a regular (Nicholas Braun, “Succession”) at the movie theater she works at.
Fogel made her feature directorial debut with 2014 Gillian Jacobs-starrer “Life Partners” and followed it up with 2018’s “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” an action comedy led by Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon. The “Booksmart” co-writer has another feature in the works, “The Mentor,” an action pic about two women pursuing an international fugitive. “The Flight Attendant” and “The Wilds” are among her small screen credits.
“CODA” made history as the first film to win all three top U.S. Dramatic honors at Sundance Film Festival and scored a record-breaking distribution deal at the fest when it premiered in January. Jones stars in the coming-of-age drama about about a teen girl who is also the only hearing member in a Deaf family. The film is heading to theaters and Apple TV+ August 13. Her other credits include “Locke & Key” and “High-Rise.”
Ashford’s upcoming slate includes an adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling novel “City of Girls,” a story about a young woman’s personal awakening in 1940s New York City.
