Tomorrow Studio lands television rights to Claire Vaye Watkins' acclaimed novel 'I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness'

Tomorrow Studios, an ITV Studios partnership, has announced plans to adapt for television heralded novel 'I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness' written by Claire Vaye Watkins and named Best Book of the Year by Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Kirkus and NPR. 

Emmy Award-winning director Stephanie Laing (Physical, Made for Love, Family Squares) reteams with Tomorrow Studios (Physical, Snowpiercer), and with acclaimed screenwriter and author Alissa Nutting (Made for Love, Teenage Euthanasia) for the television adaptation.

“We love working with Stephanie on Physical because of her incredible talent for showcasing complex stories of female empowerment in a way that resonates with a global audience. We’re excited to work with her and prolific writer Alissa to bring Claire’s powerful work to television, and we are proud to have a strong team of women spearheading this incredible project,” shared Tomorrow Studios CEO/Partner Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements.

Released in October 2021 by Riverhead Books,' I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness', was hailed by Vanity Fair as “A beguiling, biting exploration of motherhood (and personhood) that weaves in rich biographical details and is set in the desert heat of her California and Nevada hometowns.” 

Individually and collaboratively, Laing and Nutting have a rich history of layered and nuanced storytelling in the space of women’s empowerment stories and women’s stories in general.

An Emmy-winning director, writer and producer, Laing serves as EP and director on the hit dark comedy Physical produced by Tomorrow Studios, created by Annie Weisman and starring Rose Byrne. The show, which recently premiered its second season on Apple TV+, explores disordered eating and women’s empowerment through the lens of sunny southern California and the burgeoning aerobics industry. Laing is also known for her work on Veep, which ran for seven seasons and won over 15 Primetime Emmy Awards. Most recently, she directed and executive produced the Amazon UK Jezz Butterworth limited series, Mammals, starring Sally Hawkins and James Corden. She also directed and produced Hulu’s Dollface, starring Kat Dennings, which returned for its second season in 2022, as well as directing Anna Kendrick in season one of the HBO Max original series Love Life.

Laing’s most recent feature film, Family Squares, was released theatrically in February after Laing wrote, directed, and produced the film, based on her own family, during the summer of 2020 with stars Henry Winkler, Judy Greer, June Squibb, Casey Wilson, and Margo Martindale. Previously, Laing directed and produced 2018’s Irreplaceable You (Netflix), starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Christopher Walken.

Nutting is co-creator, co-showrunner, writer, and EP on HBO Max’s Made For Love, adapted from her novel of the same name, a New York Times editor's choice selection. Additionally, Nutting is co-creator and co-showrunner of the half-hour Adult Swim cartoon Teenage Euthanasia, which was recently given a season 2 order. The story, set at Tender Endings funeral home, follows the coming-of-age bond between a daughter and her recently resurrected-from-the-dead, sentient mother. Nutting was a critically acclaimed author before transitioning to screenwriting. 

Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements will executive produce the series through Tomorrow Studios, along with Stephanie Laing, Alissa Nutting and Claire Vaye Watkins. Alissa Bachner will co-executive produce.
Laing is repped by CAA and Artists First; Nutting is repped by CAA, Artists First and Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc; and Claire Vaye Watkins is repped by CAA and Aragi.
 

About Tomorrow Studios
 
Tomorrow Studios, a partnership with ITV Studios, develops and produces compelling scripted television series with top tier talent for a global audience. Spearheaded by CEO/Founder Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements, the leading production company has amassed critical and popular success for its network, cable and streaming series including Snowpiercer, starring Oscar® winner Jennifer Connelly and Grammy® and Tony Award® winner Daveed Diggs (TNT for U.S., Netflix internationally); Physical, starring Emmy® nominee Rose Byrne (Apple TV+); and the critically acclaimed adult animation series 10 Year Old Tom (HBO Max), written by Steve Dildarian, produced by their animation JV label Work Friends. The company is also producing the live action adaptation of the classic manga One Piece (Netflix) and Let The Right One In (Showtime), based on the best-selling novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist and starring Demián Bichir. Recent company announcements include first look deals with Julia Garner and her label Alma Margo, and Frank Spotnitz with his company Big Light Productions. Adelstein and Clements are also executive producers of Hanna (Amazon). Previous credits include Cowboy Bebop (Netflix), Last Man Standing (FOX), Good Behavior (TNT), and Aquarius (NBC). More information can be found at https://www.tomorrow-studio.com.