Laika Lands Rights to Adapt Emily St. John Mandel’s ‘Exit Party’ Ahead of Publication

“Exit Party” has found a home.

After what is described as a “highly competitive pursuit,” Laika has acquired the rights to “Exit Party,” an upcoming novel from Emily St. John Mandel, writer of “Station Eleven” and “Sea of Tranquility.” The deal is for a live-action series based on the novel, which Mandel will write. The book will be published this September. The announcement was made today by Alex Maggioni, Head of Television at Laika Live Action.

Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s Fruit Tree have also boarded the project as executive producer, with Head of Television Amy Hodge shepherding the project for the company.

“Exit Party” is described as “a breathtaking novel of doubles, shadow worlds and fractured timelines as a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman — a gunrunner, an art collector, an operative of the State — searches for answers.”

“Emily is a singular talent whose work aligns deeply with Laika’s creative ethos,” Maggioni said in a statement. “Partnering with Fruit Tree, with their incredible track record for bold and inventive projects, makes this all the more special, and we’re thrilled to bring this story to the screen together. From our very first read, we were struck by the beauty and depth of Exit Party. It is quintessentially Laika: character-driven, thematically rich, and visually imaginative with ambitious storytelling. Even though it’s set in the near future, it speaks directly to the world we’re living in now with such clarity and insight. At the core, it’s about the forces — both internal and external — that shape who we become, the role institutions play in that journey, and the enduring search for joy and hope in a fragmented world.”

“There were a lot of suitors for ‘Exit Party,’” said Mandel statement, “but Laika came in with tremendous passion for this project, and I felt from the first meeting that they were committed to partnering with me to adapt this novel for TV. I started working in television because I love the adaptation process — figuring out how to break apart a novel and put it back together for a new medium is one of my favorite things. With Laika and Fruit Tree, our shared creative vision and ambition are palpable, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

“Exit Party” will be the first series from Laika Live Action, a subsidiary of Laika that is based in Los Angeles. The studio has a number of live-action projects in development, including “Crumble” from writer/director Brian Duffield; an adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “Atmosphere” from filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck; and Lulu Wang’s “Audition” based on the novel by Katie Kitamura. There is also an original film from “Dune” co-writer Jon Spaihts in the works.

Meanwhile, Laika’s animation studio has fantasy epic “Wildwood,” based on the books by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, arriving on Oct. 23.

Fruit Tree was formed by Stone and McCary in August 2020 and was soon joined by President Ali Herting and Head of Television Amy Hodge (since 2025). They have produced many acclaimed projects, including Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia” and Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” television series like “The Curse,” which co-starred Stone, and the documentary series “The Yogurt Shop Murders.” Upcoming projects include a new musical from Eisenberg, A24’s “Checkmate” and “The Catch,” starring Stone and directed by McCary.

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