Reese Witherspoon to Star in, Produce Lionsgate’s Supernatural Thriller ‘Cold’

Lionsgate has acquired Cold, an original pitch by Bill Marsilii with Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea producing through their Pacific Standard Films banner. Witherspoon also is attached to star. A source pegs the deal at mid- to high-six figures.

The plot is being kept under wraps but has been described as a dark thriller with supernatural elements.

Lionsgate’s Eric Feig and Gillian Bohrer were the first buyers to hear the pitch, and quickly bid on the material.

Since its launch in 2012, Pacific Standard has been on a tear, scooping up a number of best-selling female-centric books like Gone Girl and Wild (both scored best actress nominations for stars Rosamund Pike and Witherspoon, respectively). The company is already in business with Lionsgate on a big-screen adaptation of best-seller Luckiest Girl Alive. Among the other Pacific Standard projects in development are Ashley’s War at Fox 2000 and All Is Not Forgotten at Warner Bros.

Witherspoon and Papandrea also are behind Disney’s Tink, a live-action take on the Peter Pan character Tinker Bell (Witherspoon will star in the titular role).

This week, the company inked an overall deal at ABC Studios (Pacific Standard is producing the limited series Big Little Lies, a straight-to-series order at HBO that Witherspoon will star in opposite Nicole Kidman).

Marsilii is currently adapting the sci-fi action comic Sebastian X at Voltage, with Gale Anne Hurd producing and Martin Campbell attached to direct. He co-wrote, with Terry Rossio, the Tony Scott-directed Deja Vu, starring Denzel Washington, which set the record for highest spec script sale ever when Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer acquired it in 2004 for $5 million.

Marsilii’s other projects include 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo and Lightspeed (both at Disney) as well as Blood of the Innocent at Lotus.

Marsilii is repped by ICM Partners and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman.

Witherspoon is handled by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller.

– THR