Blake Lively Will Make Directorial Debut Adapting Graphic Novel Seconds, Edgar Wright Penning Script
Actor-turned-filmmaker Olivia Wilde ("Booksmart") currently has her intriguing second feature "Don't Worry Darling" on the way, Greta Gerwig is hard at work with bringing "Barbie" to life in all its live-action glory (sans the iconic "Barbie Girl" song, inexplicably enough), and Maggie Gyllenhaal most recently debuted "The Lost Daughter" to widespread acclaim. Not to get left out of the sudden arms race of charismatic white actors making their pivot to the director's chair, Blake Lively has just stepped up as the latest to join in on this recent (but not unwelcome!) trend — and she's not the only main draw, either.
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting the rather unexpected news that Lively is set to make her feature film directing debut with an adaptation of a Bryan Lee O'Malley graphic novel, titled "Seconds." Fans may be aware of the fact that O'Malley was also the original creator of the "Scott Pilgrim" series of graphic novels, which Edgar Wright famously turned into a sleeper hit with his beloved "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" film in 2010. Excitingly enough, Wright is apparently game for another O'Malley adaptation as he'll be penning the script and producing the Lively-directed movie. Searchlight Pictures will be taking point on this production, which doesn't have a scheduled release date at the moment.
Blake Lively and Edgar Wright team up for Seconds
The "Seconds" graphic novel was written as author Bryan Lee O'Malley's first major follow-up to his hit "Scott Pilgrim" series. THR reports that "Seconds" boasts a similarly creative storyline that seems to come with an absolutely massive scope, making it an interesting choice for Blake Lively's first film-related directorial effort.
The article describes the plot as following "Katie Clay, who receives the power to fix her past mistakes via writing them down in a notebook, eating a mushroom and falling asleep. Clay becomes too eager to fix every little aspect of her life and before long, her newfound ability begins to create ever new problems that threaten not only to take her further and further from the life she initially had but the very fabric of time and space itself."
Technically, this won't be the famous actor's first ever directing gig. Lively previously teamed up with Taylor Swift for the music video of last year's single "I Bet You Think About Me," resulting in 2022 Academy Country Music Awards nominations for directing and producing. In terms of acting, Lively most recently appeared in 2020's action/thriller "The Rhythm Section," Paul Feig's "A Simple Favor," and the survival film where she battles a bloodthirsty shark, "The Shallows." Lively is also currently attached to star in "Lady Killer," which will come from "Juno," "Jennifer's Body," and "Tully" writer Diablo Cody.
Here's hoping Lively's jump from acting to directing proves to be as successful as the previous notable examples. Keep an eye on /Film for more updates on "Seconds" as they come in.