Blake Lively, Shawn Levy Team Up For Netflix Thriller ‘Dark Days At The Magna Carta’

Netflix has acquired the rights to a new post-apocalyptic thriller titled Dark Days at the Magna Carta. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Blake Lively is set to star and produce through her B for Effort banner alongside Kate Vorhoff. The film is also being eyed as a trilogy giving the Gossip Girl star a franchise to call her own. Stranger Things EP Shawn Levy is also on board to produce with 21 Laps partner Dan Cohen.

Although details of the project are slim, Dark Days at the Magna Carta is reportedly set amid a catastrophic event. It centers on a woman going to extreme lengths to survive and save her family. It is said to have themes of isolation and strength of family.

The pic hails from rising scribe Michael Paisley who broke into the business by working in the CAA mailroom. According to THR, Paisley came up with the story late last year. But, it got its footing once the global pandemic took hold in the U.S. Although a world-altering crisis is the key event in the story, it is not related to the current pandemic. Paisley’s work got the attention of producers who all sought rights in a heated bidding war. Ultimately, it was Lively and Levy’s joined forces that won and brought the project to Netflix.

After two years of working in CAA’s mailroom, Paisley worked as a writer’s assistant in another Netflix project, the hit fantasy series The Witcher. From there, he continued to work on his craft via specs. Soon, he came out and sold his first script to STX, a horror thriller titled Dollhouse set in New York’s fashion scene.

On the other hand, 21 Laps has been taking this time to focus on more projects. Aside from Dark Days at the Magna Carta, the company is also prepping for Levy’s Free Guy in addition to two other projects. It stars Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds. Other production credits include the Night at the Museum trilogy, Kin, Arrival, and The Spectacular Now.

Meanwhile, Lively was last seen in Paramount’s action-thriller Rhythm Section which fell short a$6 million in the worldwide box office. Her other credits include The Age of Adeline, The Shallows, and A Simple Favor. Lively is also set to star and produce in the upcoming adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s 2013 novel The Husband’s Secret.  Lively is also set to star and produce in the upcoming adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s 2013 novel The Husband’s Secret.