Searchlight Acquires A.C. Robinson’s Short Story “Grand Rising”; Lena Waithe to Adapt with Steven Caple Jr. Directing
Searchlight Pictures Acquires “Grand Rising” in High-Profile Deal
In a notable acquisition, Searchlight Pictures has secured the rights to “Grand Rising,” a short story by A.C. Robinson. This marks the first major package sale of the year, with Emmy winner Lena Waithe, known for her work on Queen & Slim, set to adapt the story, and Steven Caple Jr., director of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, attached to direct.
“Grand Rising” has been described as a psychological horror-thriller, though details regarding its plot remain undisclosed.
Waithe will produce the project for Hillman Grad, with Caple Jr. producing for Grey Skies Pictures and Scott Glassgold for 12:01 Films. Jeannette Francis is on board as executive producer for Grey Skies Pictures. The project is being overseen by Rayne Roberts, SVP of Production, and Creative Executive Cameron Chidsey for Searchlight, reporting to Heads of Production and Development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.
Caple Jr. expressed enthusiasm about the project, stating that Robinson “has crafted something that’s both deeply intimate and genuinely unsettling. It’s new territory for me as a director, and working with Lena and Searchlight to bring this family’s story to the screen is the kind of creative challenge that excites me most.”
Since launching Grey Skies just a year ago, Caple Jr. has been involved in several high-profile projects. His company is currently producing Netflix’s upcoming Man on Fire series, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and is developing I Am Legend 2 for Warner Bros., featuring Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan. Additionally, Grey Skies is producing Thieves’ Gambit for Lionsgate and Ghost Fleet for Paramount, where it holds a first-look deal. Last year, Caple Jr. directed the pilot block for the Man on Fire series and served as a series executive producer. His previous directorial works include Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which grossed $439 million globally, and Creed II, which earned $214 million. He is represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
Waithe, an Emmy-winning writer, producer, and actor, has garnered acclaim for projects like Master of None, The Chi, and Queen & Slim. Recent credits include the Emmy-nominated documentary Being Mary Tyler Moore and the 2023 Sundance films A Thousand and One and Kokomo City. In November 2024, she launched Legacy Talk, a podcast focused on Black storytellers in entertainment, and is preparing to debut as a playwright and theatrical actor with trinity at Baltimore Center Stage in February. She is represented by Blue Marble Management, WME, and a legal team at Del Shaw Moonves.
Robinson made her mark in the literary world with her debut novel, Hardly Strangers, and has expanded Grand Rising into a novel set to be published through the Simon & Schuster/Atria imprint, 12:01 Books. Robinson is represented by Verve and Andre Des Rochers.
This acquisition adds to Glassgold’s successful streak with 12:01 Films, which has secured several high-profile projects, including Code Black at Amazon with Jake Gyllenhaal, The Operator at Netflix with Mark Wahlberg, and Ripped at 20th Century Studios with Dwayne Johnson. Notably, he is developing an adaptation of Harrison and Matt Query’s book, My Wife and I Bought a Ranch, for Amazon and is represented by Verve and Jeff Frankel.
