In a new development, Bros has revealed plans to develop the hit Reddit short story “I Pretended to Be a Missing Girl” into a feature film, with Sydney Sweeney to star and produce. The script will be written by Eric Roth, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter behind “Forrest Gump,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Dune”
First published on Reddit’s r/nosleep forum in 2021 by Massachusetts high school English teacher Joe Cote, the tale is about a drifter who poses as a missing girl to steal from her family but discovers she has made a terrible error. The story became widely read online, and it was found by talent manager Aaron Folbe of Underground Entertainment, who got Cote’s representation.
Sweeney, known for her work on “Euphoria,” “Anyone But You,” and “Immaculate,” is set to produce the movie via her own production banner, Fifty-Fifty Films. She was instrumental in getting Eric Roth on board the project, which clearly shows how dedicated she is to working on interesting stories.
This film is just another example of Hollywood taking viral internet tales and bringing them to the big screen. Other such examples include 2018’s “Slender Man,” based on a character that was created on online bulletin boards, and 2021’s A24 release “Zola,” taken from a widely popular Twitter thread.
Aside from her work in “I Pretended to Be a Missing Girl,” Sweeney is also to star in and produce a number of upcoming titles. These include “The Housemaid,” a thriller directed by Paul Feig and co-starring Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar, and “Scandalous!”, a biopic on actress Kim Novak’s secret affair with Sammy Davis Jr. Sweeney’s hands-on approach to production that indicates her commitment to maintaining creative control over her works.
The remake of “I Pretended to Be a Missing Girl” reinforces the increasing practice of drawing inspiration from online forums, emphasizing the viability of internet stories to evolve into mainstream entertainment. With Sweeney on board and Roth’s experience as a screenwriter, the movie will be able to take the sensational Reddit story to the masses. Keep Reading Celewood.com for more such latest news on hollwood stars.
