Awesomeness Films Acquires YA Novel ‘Spontaneous’

Awesomeness Films just picked up the feature rights to the YA novel Spontaneous written by Aaron Starmer which hits the street on August 30. The story follows a girl during her senior year at Covington High in suburban New Jersey where everything is going as normally as could be expected, until the day a fellow senior explodes during third period pre-calc. Soon other classmates meet similar fates, forcing Mara and her friends to figure out a way to survive normal high school problems, with the added stress of potentially combusting at any moment.

Brian Duffield (who will adapt the novel) and Nicki Cortese will produce for Awesomeness Films under their company Jurassic Party’s first look deal. Duffield most recently wrote and executive produced The Babysitter directed by McG. Brian Robbins and Matt Kaplan will produce from the Awesomeness side. The property was brought to Awesomeness through film executive Max Siemers.

Spontaneous, which was named a Book Expo America 2016 YA Buzz Book, will be published by Dutton. Starmer is also the author of The Riverman Trilogy, as well as, the upcoming book Meme.

The news of this acquistions comes on the heels of Open Road’s recent deal for distribution rights on Before I Fall, an Awesomeness Film’s adaptation of the young adult novel with the same name by Lauren Oliver. Awesomeness Films is also adapting Oliver’s next YA novel Replica.

Cortese most recently produced You Get Me for Awesomeness Films starring Bella Thorne and Halston Sage, which wrapped production last week.

Starmer is repped by Paradigm on behalf of Michael Bourret of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. Duffield is repped by Gersh, Circle of Confusion and Howard Abramson. Cortese is represented by Todd Weinstein.