EXCLUSIVE: Wayfarer Studios, Meralta Films and Inked Entertainment are teaming on Errands & Espionage, a feature adaptation of the forthcoming action comedy novel by Sam Tschida, after prevailing in a bidding war for rights to the book.
Set to release in November 2024 via Forever, the buzzy title follows an unassuming, recently divorced housewife who is recruited by the CIA to complete a secret mission her doppelganger died attempting, forcing her to balance her roles as a housewife and novice spy. This is the first installment of Tschida’s new Secret Agent Housewife book series. Pitch for the feature take is The Flight Attendant meets Miss Congeniality.
Errands & Espionage will be executive produced by Steve Sarowitz of Wayfarer Studios and David Purse of Inked Entertainment. Justin Baldoni and Andrew Calof will produce for Wayfarer along with Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, Nina Aujla, and Maya Gnyp for Meralta Films. Tschida will serve as a consulting producer, with Angela Cardon overseeing on behalf of Wayfarer Studios.
“There’s something truly special about the chance to add a dash of adventure to our lives, and our lead character does exactly that by stepping into the world of espionage in this captivating wish fulfillment tale,” said at Wayfarer’s President of Production & Development, Calof. “We’re genuinely excited to partner with Meralta Films and Inked Entertainment to bring this remarkable story from the pages of the book to the big screen.”
Added Aujla, Meralta Films’ Head of Film and TV, “Sam Tschida’s book captivated our imaginations from the first page. It is an exploration of modern womanhood in an incredibly fun genre package. We’re thrilled to work with Wayfarer Studios and Inked Entertainment to bring Sam’s words to life.”
A rom-com author based out of Minnesota who founded feminist writing collective SMUT U, Tschida previously penned 2021’s Siri, Who Am I?. Due for release this year is her next book, Divorced & Deadly.
Co-founded by Baldoni and Sarowitz and led by President Jamey Heath, Wayfarer’s current slate includes Code 3, It Ends With Us, Black Is Beautiful, The Senior, Empire Waist, The Algorithm, Pac-Man, and Badass Biker Chicks of Marrakesh. Recently premiering their Tony Goldwyn-helmed film Ezra at TIFF, where it was acquired for U.S. release by Bleecker Street, the company was also behind 2023 SXSW Special Jury Award-winning documentary The Herricanes and doc Racist Trees, which had its domestic premiere in Palm Springs.
Founded by Mundhra, the creative behind titles like Indian Matchmaking and St. Louis Superman, Meralta Films has also been behind acclaimed features including Shelter and Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground, both of which were for Max. Currently, the company is in production on a new matchmaking series for Hulu/ABC News Studios with Mundhra serving as showrunner.
Tschida is represented by High Line Literary Collective; Wayfarer Studios by WME; Meralta Films by WME, Curate Management, and Granderson Des Rochers; and Inked Entertainment by WME and Alexander, Lawrence, Frumes & Labowitz.
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