Scott Stuber and Amazon MGM are in talks to turn the story of Evan Gershkovich — the Wall Street Journal reporter who was imprisoned for over a year in Russia on false charges of espionage — into a feature.
The studio and Stuber’s United Artist banner are in negotiation to acquire the rights to Gershkovich’s forthcoming memoir, with Oscar nominee Edward Berger circling as the film’s director.
If the deal makes, Gershkovich would executive produce along with The Wall Street Journal and Ella Milman, Gerskovich’s mother. Milman’s own book proposal would be part of the acquisition of the underlying rights.
Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt will produce for United Artists, along with Amy Pascal who recently worked with the studio on Challengers.
David Weil, whose credits include the Amazon series Citadel and Hunters, is being eyed to adapt the memoir, which will be published in the United States by Penguin Random House imprint Crown sometime next year.
Berger earned an Oscar nomination for his war drama All Quiet on the Western Front and recently earned awards recognition for his latest feature Conclave.
Stuber took the helm of United Artists last year after exiting from his post as the head of film at Netflix. The label’s slate includes the novel adaptation Kill Your Darlings starring Julia Roberts and the holiday comedy Christmas in Paradise starring Nate Bargatze.
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