TriStar Acquires New Ben Mezrich Novel ‘The Last Orbit’ with Matt Shakman Set to Direct and Beau Flynn Producing
TriStar Pictures Acquires Ben Mezrich’s Upcoming Novel "The Last Orbit"
TriStar Pictures has secured the film adaptation rights to The Last Orbit, a forthcoming novel by New York Times bestselling author Ben Mezrich. The film will be directed by Matt Shakman, known for his work on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with a screenplay adapted from a story by Josh Friedman, who previously contributed to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Scheduled for publication by Authors Equity in the first quarter of 2027, The Last Orbit is a speculative fiction novel centered on the asteroid YR4, which poses a significant risk of colliding with Earth or the moon in 2032. The narrative explores a plausible international response as nations unite to confront this impending threat to the planet.
Beau Flynn will produce the film through FlynnPictureCo., a company recognized for its involvement in multiple high-profile projects, including the live-action adaptation of Moana and Netflix’s Red Notice, which ranks as the platform’s second-most popular film. Scott Sheldon is set to executive produce alongside Mezrich.
Shakman, who earned an Emmy nomination for his direction of WandaVision and The Great, is coming off the success of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which featured a cast that includes Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby and grossed over $521 million worldwide upon its release last summer. His diverse credits also include Apple’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and the upcoming series based on Siegfried & Roy.
Friedman, an accomplished writer and producer in the science fiction genre, played a role in the screenplay of Shakman’s Fantastic Four film and has collaborated on notable projects such as Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds and James Cameron’s recent Avatar sequels. He is recognized as the creator and executive producer of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Mezrich, whose works have frequently been adapted for film by Sony, is best known for The Accidental Billionaires, the book that inspired the Academy Award-winning The Social Network. He also authored The Antisocial Network, which served as the basis for Craig Gillespie’s film Dumb Money, detailing the GameStop short squeeze of 2021. With over 11 million novels sold globally, Mezrich has received various industry accolades, including a USC Scripter Award for his collaboration on The Social Network.
Shakman is represented by Untitled, CAA, and Yorn, Levine; Mezrich by CAA and WME for publishing; and Friedman by CAA and Jackoway Austen.
