Diablo Cody and Mason Novick are teaming with Wattpad Webtoon Studios to produce an adaptation of the popular Webtoon webcomic “Death of a Pop Star” as a film.
The script will be written by buzzy screenwriter and producer Isa Mazzei. Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Mazzei is the writer and producer behind Blumhouse’s psychological horror film “Cam,” as well as producer of Neon’s 2022 eco-thriller “How to Blow Up A Pipeline.” Her first book, “Camgirl,” was selected as one of NPR’s favorite books, and her writing has also been featured in New York Magazine’s The Cut, Glamour Magazine, and Het HEM’s The Couch. She is currently in post-production on an adaptation of “Faces of Death” that she wrote and produced for Legendary Pictures.
The “Death of a Pop Star” webcomic, written by creator Violet Karim and boasting 33 million global views, tells supernatural story of Sophie, a beloved pop star at the top of her game — until she takes a tumble from the top of the stairs and wakes up in Hell.
Popular on PvNew
Lucky for her, the Grim Reaper is her number one fan and, in a desperate attempt to save his idol, secretly gives Sophie a second chance at life back on Earth. But with Sophie’s resurrection comes a deadly target on her back when she’s threatened with being dragged back to Hell.
Diablo Cody’s debut film, “Juno,” won the Academy Award for best original screenplay, the BAFTA Award for best original screenplay, the Independent Spirit Award for best first screenplay, and the Writers Guild Award for best original screenplay.
She has since written a number of films including “Young Adult,” “Tully,” “Lisa Frankenstein” and the now cult-classic “Jennifer’s Body.” Cody also created the Emmy-winning series “United States of Tara” with Steven Spielberg, and won a Tony Award for writing the book of the Broadway musical, “Jagged Little Pill.”
Cody will produce the film alongside frequent collaborator Mason Novick (“Juno,” “Red Eye,” “500 Days of Summer,” “Lisa Frankenstein”). Wattpad Webtoon Studios’ Aron Levitz, David Madden and Jason Goldberg will serve as executive producers.
“‘Death of a Pop Star’ is one of those titles that just lends itself so perfectly to a live-action adaptation,” said Wattpad Webtoon Studios president Levitz. “Violet created such a mesmerizing, must-read story, and when it came to choosing a partner to help us bridge the gap between the living and the dead, who else does that better than Diablo Cody?”
“As a huge fan of both pop music and the undead, I am so excited to help bring this offbeat story to the screen,” said Cody.
Wattpad Webtoon Studios’s growing slate of film and TV projects includes Rachel Smythe’s sensation “Lore Olympus” with The Jim Henson Company, “Chasing Red” with Stampede Ventures and writer Jessika Borsiczky (“Sex/Life,” “UnREAL”), “Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell” with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment, “Freaking Romance” with Skybound Entertainment and A. Rasen’s nightmare-filled WEBTOON hit “Gremoryland.”
