Red Rock Pictures has secured award-winning US composer Deborah Lurie for the feature While It Lasts, based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Abbi Glines.
The third in a series of Sea Breeze books, While It Lasts is set in in the steamy coastal Alabama town of Sea Breeze, where an interconnected group of older teens hook up and break up.
The protagonist is Cage York, who looked set for a free ride to college for baseball until a DUI. His coach orders him to spend the summer baling hay, where he meets uptight, snarky brunette Eva Brooks. Eva's long-time beau Josh has just been killed along with four other soldiers near Baghdad.
Red Rock Pictures' Gary O’Toole will produce and write the screenplay, Glines has agreed to serve as associate producer and Aussie actor Addam Bramich will co-produce. Bramich, whose credits include Blinder, The Slap and several short films, is keen to play York.
Lurie's credits include Dreamgirls, the second and third Spider-Man adventures, Hellboy 2, Charlotte’s Web and Wanted. She won ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) awards for Safe Haven and Dear John.
O'Toole said, “We knew from films like Dear John that Deborah was the composer for us. She has such an amazing resume and the range of work she has produced and composed is remarkable. Wespoke to Deborah over several weeks and Addam met her in Los Angeles last week. Once we explained our vision for the feature film, she totally got where we were coming from.”
Shooting in the US and Australia is expected to begin in the last quarter of this year. O'Toole is in final negotiations with additional cast and the director.
Red Rock Pictures has several projects in development including Nulla, Clandestine and Fraker’s Way.