Jamie Lee Curtis, Comet Productions, and Blumhouse Productions have announced that they will be partnering to adapt author Lizzie Johnson’s survival novel, Paradise: One Town’s Struggle To Survive An American Wildfire, into a feature-length film. The novel, published in 2021, tells the story of California’s Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California’s history, and how the town of Paradise survived the fire.
Lizzie Johnson, currently a staff writer at the Washington Post, was on scene for the San Francisco Chronicle when the Camp Fire hit the town of Paradise, California. According to the official book synopsis for Paradise, Johnson pulls together a collection of official sources recounting the disaster, including 911 calls and a grand jury testimony, to document the fire minute-by-minute; in addition, she also tells heart-wrenching tales of the citizens of Paradise struggling to survive, including a young mother and her newborn child, a bus full of schoolchildren, and a group of patients and nurses forced to fend off the flames with rakes and hoses.
Along with providing play-by-play accounts of the fire, Paradise: One Town’s Struggle To Survive An American Wildfire also documents Johnson’s search for the cause of California’s Camp Fire as she confronts issues like climate change, a faulty alert system, and negligence on the part of Pacific Gas and Electric.
Why Jamie Lee Curtis Wants to Tell the Story of ‘Paradise’
Jamie Lee Curtis, her production company Comet Productions, and big-name Blumhouse Productions have teamed up to adapt Paradise into a feature film. Jamie Lee Curtis has most recently appeared in Everything Everywhere All At Once, where she appears as Deirdre Beaubeirdre; her other projects include the upcoming film Halloween Ends, where she returns to the Halloween series as Laurie Strode.
Regarding Paradise, Curtis told Deadline her drive to adapt the novel into a film is born out of her status as a native Californian and her horror at seeing the Camp Fire unfold on TV.
“When I heard Lizzie Johnson on NPR, and then read her amazing book, I knew that I wanted to be able to turn this story into a film and explore the human elements, tragedies, and bravery that only a film can do,” she said. “I’m glad my partners at Blumhouse agreed.”
Blumhouse Productions, mostly known for producing horror films, have connected with Jamie Lee Curtis on the Halloween films with other productions by the studio, including the Insidious, Paranormal Activity, and The Purge films. Regarding Paradise, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum told Looper:
“It’s still a long road to recovery for the people of Paradise, and knowing that the town’s story is in great hands and will not be forgotten is of vital importance to me. I was immediately impressed by Jamie’s compassion and her drive to understand Paradise and its people. With her passion guiding the way, I know that this story will be told in a way that honors Paradise.”
Further information on the film adaptation of Paradise: One Town’s Struggle To Survive An American Wildfire, including a release date and casting information, has not yet been released.