Florence Pugh to Star in ‘The Midnight Library’

Florence Pugh has found her next big-screen home — and it’s one that millions of readers already love. The Oscar-nominated actress is set to star in and produce The Midnight Library, the long-awaited film adaptation of Matt Haig’s phenomenon of a novel, with Lion director Garth Davis behind the camera.

Pugh will play Nora Seed, a woman who finds herself in a library suspended between life and death, where she’s given the chance to step into every version of her life she never lived — different careers, different relationships, different choices. At its heart, it’s a story about depression, regret, and the quiet, complicated act of choosing to stay. Haig’s novel is, as Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh put it, “a love letter to life.”

The project has been in the works since Studiocanal and Blueprint Pictures optioned the book back in 2020, the same year it was published by Canongate. In the years since, it’s become a genuine cultural touchstone — 15 million copies sold, translations into 56 languages, and an audiobook narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Carey Mulligan. Getting it to screen was always going to take the right team.

A Reunion That Already Has Chemistry

What makes this casting feel so right is that Pugh and Davis aren’t strangers. The two are already collaborating on the upcoming Netflix adaptation of East of Eden, based on John Steinbeck’s classic novel — so by the time cameras roll on The Midnight Library in early 2027, they’ll have a whole production’s worth of creative shorthand to draw from.

Davis made that connection clear in his own statement: “I couldn’t be more excited to reunite with Florence Pugh on The Midnight Library. Her warmth and talent are magical, and together I know we’ll do something special working with Matt’s iconic novel. This is a story that moves us both — a celebration of life in all its possibility and complexity. With Graham Broadbent, Blueprint Pictures and Studiocanal behind us, I can’t wait to illuminate this adventure.”

Haig, who will serve as executive producer on the film, was equally effusive. “I am so happy that Nora’s story is in such great hands, and that her myriad possibilities will be vividly reawakened by the absolute perfect team,” he said. “And I can’t wait for people to see my book reimagined for the big screen.”

The screenplay comes from two serious talents: Laura Wade, who won the Olivier Award and wrote the buzzy Rivals adaptation, and Nick Payne, a Tony nominee who also penned We Live in Time. That’s a lot of emotional intelligence in the writers’ room for a story that lives and dies on exactly that.

What Comes Next

Studiocanal is launching worldwide sales at the 2026 Cannes market, with pre-production kicking off this fall and the shoot beginning at the start of 2027. The studio will release the film theatrically across its own territories — the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand.

Producing alongside Pugh are Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin of Blueprint Pictures and Anita Overland. Executive producers include Blueprint’s Ben Knight and Diarmuid McKeown, along with Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Dan MacRae for Studiocanal.

Marsh summed up what everyone seems to be feeling about this one: “I cannot wait for Florence Pugh to take us on Nora’s journey as she finds her way to a profound love for life.”

After Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two, and everything else Pugh has delivered this decade, watching her inhabit a character navigating infinite versions of herself feels like exactly the kind of role she was built for.