Jenna Mattison to Write Screenplay for J.D. Barker’s Thriller ‘A Caller’s Game’
Jenna Mattison to Adapt J.D. Barker’s Thriller ‘A Caller’s Game’ for Feature Film
Jenna Mattison has been selected to adapt J.D. Barker’s thriller A Caller’s Game into a feature film. This project marks Mattison’s second collaboration with Barker, following their work on The Gimble Files, a television series in development at UCP based on a novel Barker co-authored with James Patterson.
Barker’s novel, published by Hampton Creek Press in 2021, combines elements reminiscent of Die Hard and Talk Radio. The plot follows Jordan Briggs, a controversial satellite radio talk show host who has risen to prominence at considerable personal expense. When a mysterious caller challenges her to a game during a live broadcast to millions, Jordan unwittingly confronts her troubled past. What begins as a routine stunt escalates into a perilous situation as buried secrets resurface, leading her to a poignant realization about the consequences of her choices.
Barker will produce the film adaptation alongside Joel Gotler of Intellectual Property Group and Greg Pedicin from Untitled.
Mattison has a rich history of adapting popular literature, having previously worked on two novels by Sophie Kinsella, the author of Confessions of a Shopaholic, as well as Patterson’s Coast to Coast Murders. Her psychological thriller Haunted is currently in pre-production with director Rosemary Rodriguez, known for her work on The Walking Dead. Additionally, she is set to adapt Josh Malerman’s Decorum at the Deathbed for the author’s Spin a Black Yarn. Previously, she wrote, directed, and produced The Sound, a psychological thriller released by Orion and Samuel Goldwyn.
J.D. Barker, the author of Dracul and The Fourth Monkey, has seen his works translated into over two dozen languages and distributed in more than 150 countries. His books have also been optioned for both film and television. He is represented by Gotler.
