Laika’s adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s mind-bending fantasy novel Piranesi just took a major step forward with the hiring of acclaimed screenwriter Dave Kajganich to handle the script.
Kajganich, known for his work on Suspiria, Bones and All, and AMC’s The Terror, is currently collaborating with some of the most respected directors in the industry, including Barry Jenkins, Ridley Scott, and Edward Berger. Now, he’ll bring his talents and skills to Laika’s ambitious stop-motion take on Clarke’s beloved novel.
“Piranesi changed my soul and is one of the books in all the world, of any era, I most cherish,” Kajganich said in a statement. “Having Travis’ and Susanna’s trust in adapting it is something I take as an honor of the highest order. They are two of the loveliest, smartest, and most humane people you can imagine, so all of this is an actual dream coming true for me.”
First announced in June 2024, Piranesi will be directed by Laika President & CEO Travis Knight, who previously helmed the Oscar-nominated Kubo and the Two Strings and the upcoming Wildwood. The project marks a return to the studio’s roots in stop-motion storytelling, even as they continue branching out into live-action.
The story for Piranesi is set in a dreamlike alternative reality, and it follows Piranesi, “whose house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others.
“Within the labyrinth of halls, an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.”
There is one other person in the house, “a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge.
“But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.”
Since its release, Clarke’s novel has become a literary phenomenon, selling over four million copies and winning the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Its meditative tone, philosophical depth, and strange beauty seem tailor-made for Laika’s visual storytelling.
Knight previously shared in a statement: “Piranesi is a treasure, and very dear to me. As a filmmaker, I can scarcely imagine a more joyful experience than wandering through the worlds Susanna dreamed into being.
“She’s one of my all-time favorite authors, and with Piranesi, Susanna has created a beautiful, devastating and ultimately life-affirming work of art. I’m humbled that she chose LAIKA as her home.”
Kajganich is also working on Brad Pitt’s The Riders , he’s also scripting Be My Baby, a Ronnie Spector biopic for A24, with Zendaya set to star and Barry Jenkins directing.
While Laika continues to push further into live-action—with projects like Atmosphere from Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and Crumble from Brian Duffield and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the studio hasn’t lost sight of what made them a fan favorite in the first place: bold, stylized stop-motion animation that tell stories with emotional weight.
Source: Deadline
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