Alice Braga Set for Adaptation of Cannes Jury’s Leila Slimani Novel

Reuniting two of the producers behind Walter Salles’ Oscar winning “I’m Still Here,” “Queen of the South” lead Alice Braga will star in an adaptation of Cannes jury member Leila Slimani’s debut novel “In the Garden of the Ogre,” produced by Conspiraçao, one of Brazil’s top producers, and Globoplay, the VOD service of Brazilian TV giant Globo.

To be directed by Carolina Jabor (“Liquid Truth”), the big screen makeover of the renowned Moroccan-French author figures as the second title in a four-pic co-production pact announced in 2023 by Globoplay and the Walt Disney Company, with Disney’s Star Original Productions, its label dedicated to Brazilian productions, co-producing the feature.

Announced by Variety at the Cannes Festival, the adaptation turns on Júlia, a successful journalist lives comfortably in São Paulo with her surgeon husband and young son. However, she hides a secret: her addiction to risky sex.

“When her husband suggests moving to a small town, Júlia sees this as a chance to abandon her destructive behavior and become the mother and wife she has always wanted to be,” the synopsis reads. “But as the move approaches, her addiction intensifies, threatening to expose her secrets and destroy her family.”

“I’m thrilled that ‘In the Garden of the Ogre’ is being adapted for cinema,” said Slimani, whose second novel, “Lullaby” (aka “The Perfect Nanny”) won the Prix Goncourt, a top French literary award.

Slimani wrote “In the Garden of the Ogre,” she added, “with many cinematic images in mind – almost like a film. I often thought of works like ‘Belle de Jour,’ both Joseph Kessel’s novel and Buñuel’s film, and ‘Damage,’ by Louis Malle. These references deeply inspired the book’s atmosphere – the unspoken tensions, the glances, the silent games. Seeing this story come to life on screen is like returning to its roots. It’s moving and very emotional,” Slimani observed.

“She is a woman trying to live two parallel lives where conflicting emotions coexist. As her addiction consumes her, she loses control over her own existence,” highlighted director Carolina Jabor.

Slimani’s work has been translated into 30 languages. Braga also starred in Apple TV’s “Dark Matter.” Teaming with top writers – Lucas Paraizo on “Liquid Truth,” Clarice Falcão on “Elected” – Jabor has consolidated as one of Brazil’s foremost female directors.

Rita Piffer (“Paradeiros”) is writing the screenplay in collaboration with Carolina Jabor and Victoria Visco. Filming will take place this year in São Paulo, Brazil.