A project that’s been in development for years, first announced in 2011 when Darren Aronofsky (still glowing from the success of “Black Swan” which he directed) was attached to produce, from a screenplay penned by his “Black Swan” writer Mark Heyman.
Lionsgate would pick up distribution rights to the film titled “XOXO,” described as a high-concept thriller about a Facebook stalker, summarized in industry speak as “‘Fatal Attraction’ for the social networking age.” The story follows a man, engaged to be married, who thinks it’s a good idea to flirt with people he meets online. And as you can probably guess, he gets into a bit of a mess with one of the subjects of his online escapades.
“XOXO” will make use of streaming video and other social media platforms, as well as stylized visual sequences to tell its tale, it was announced at the time.
Skip ahead 5 years later to this afternoon, to news that the project is back online (pun intended) with Lionsgate tapping Canadian filmmaker Clement Virgo to rewrite the script as well as direct the film.
Darren Aronofsky is still attached to produce, alongside Groundswell Productions’ Michael London.
It’s been a busy 2 years for Mr. Virgo, who most recently acted as executive producer, showrunner and director of OWN’s original scripted drama series, “Greenleaf.” He also directed “The Book of Negroes” miniseries for BET. And announced earlier this year, he’s developing an adaptation of author Lawrence Hill’s novel “The Illegal,” via his Conquering Lion Pictures production house (Hill also wrote “The Book of Negroes.” The dystopian story is set in the near future and follows the journey of a young marathon runner who flees his repressive native home and finds himself in a community of undocumented refugees living in a wealthy country. “The Illegal” is said to tackle dystopian themes similar to those seen in “The Hunger Games” or “Divergent,” making it well-positioned as a potential franchise property, Virgo said, depending on the success of the initial feature.
No ETA on “XOXO” at this time.
Virgo is repped by UTA, Fourth Wall Management and attorney Craig Emanuel at Loeb & Loeb.
Deadline was first to announce Virgo’s attachment to “XOXO” today.
