Gillian Flynn reveals how novel 'Sharp Objects' came into existence and her excitement about the upcoming HBO miniseries
47-year-old author and screenwriter Gillian Flynn was working for Entertainment Weekly and writing novels during her free time. She went on to write three novels and one short story, all of which have gone to see significant commercial success. Now, her debut novel, 'Sharp Objects,' which she penned in 2006, is all set to release as an eight-episode miniseries on HBO starring Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, and Eliza Scanlen.
Talking to HBO, Flynn revealed how she managed to divide time between her work and authoring her novels when she first started out. "I started writing it just nights, weekends and holidays," she said. "I was covering movies for Entertainment Weekly, so I wrote it on movie sets all over the world, in places very glamorous like New Zealand for Lord of the Rings, and then unglamorous places, like somewhere in Florida for Jackass: The Movie."
'Sharp Objects' revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the crime reporter, Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), who returns to the town from Chicago to investigate the murders of two young girls after she was recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital. Now under the critical eye of Adora Crellin (Patricia Clarkson), Camille must confront some personal demons as she hunts down the culprit.
Adams says she was drawn to the role because 'Camille has so much pain and nowhere to put it.' "It was a character that I think a lot of women can identify with. I love the female characters that [Flynn] creates. They feel so real and full, so unexpected and surprising," she said.
'Sharp Objects' was a 'very, very personal experience' for her, says Flynn, adding how then making it into a TV series was an equally interesting and awarding experience. It will be executively produced by Marti Noxon, who admitted she's a big fan of the author's work as well as Adams', with 'Get Out' producer Jason Blum also involved. The miniseries will be directed by Jean-Marc Vallée of 'Big Little Lies' fame.
Flynn was equally pleased with Adams' involvement. "I feel like Sharp Objects was waiting for Amy to come along," she said. "She’s so easy to empathize with and has this tenderness to her. But you don’t feel like she’ll be completely crushed because she’s got this great spine to her. She is exactly the right person to bear the very heavy load that is being Camille."
It will not be the first time that Flynn will get to see her work adapted for the screen either. She will perhaps be best-recognized as the author of 'Gone Girl,' which she released in 2012. 20th Century Fox purchased the film rights for $1.5 million and the David Ficher-directed movie, based on a script by Flynn herself, went on to gross over $369 million worldwide.
'Sharp Objects' is scheduled to debut on HBO on July 8, 2018.