Julia Roberts is set to co-produce and star in Kill Your Darlings, a film adaptation of an upcoming murder mystery novel by Peter Swanson that unveils a couple’s dark secret underneath the persona of their seemingly-perfect life.
With a current publishing date of June 10, producer Scott Stuber snagged this book off the film market before it could even hit shelves, per THR. A murder mystery told in reverse, this story will follow the lives of a couple, Tom and Wendy Graves, who have been married for over 25 years and share a deep-seated secret. The unreleased book’s official description says the narrative moves, “backward through time to witness key moments from the couple’s lives—their fiftieth birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague—all painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago.”
The film is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists, and James Gray will also be involved (likely as the director) alongside producers, including Roberts, Stuber, Nick Nesbitt, Lisa Gillan, Marisa Yeres Gill, Jane Rosenthal, and Berry Welsh. Executive producers include Swanson, the book’s author, and Joel Gotler. Although having the same title as Daniel Radcliffe’s 2013 film Kill Your Darlings, there is no relationship between the two.
Robert’s official role in the film is yet to be revealed, but it seems likely that she will portray the wife, Wendy Graves. This isn’t the first collaboration Roberts and Stuber (who runs United Artists) have done, as they recently worked together on the 2023 hit thriller Leave the World Behind. According to THR, the two are also working on Panic Carefully, Sam Esmail’s upcoming film starring Roberts, who’s also producing alongside Stuber and others.
Stuber is currently in the works of developing various new films with United Artists, including The Girl in the Lake, another book adaptation of a mystery thriller from author Lauren Oliver, which will potentially star Scarlett Johansson.
