The award-winning, bestselling novel by Ramona Ausubel, The Last Animal, has been snapped up for a film adaptation by production companies Walden Media and Big Beach.
Ry Russo-Young is set to direct the film based on the emotionally resonant story. Published in April 2023 by Riverhead Books in Penguin Random House, Ausubel’s work has been named best book of the year by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and Oprah Daily, among others. The distributor has not been appointed yet.
“Last Animal” follows teenage sisters Eve and Vera, who unexpectedly spend the summer vacation on their mother’s scientific expedition. While tinkering in the permafrost, the sisters accidentally discover a perfectly preserved four-thousand-year-old baby mammoth. This discovery sends the mother and her daughters from the foothills of Siberia to the shores of Iceland to an exotic animal farm in Italy, giving birth to a creature that could change the world — or their family, at least.
“I am honored to be entrusted with bringing this remarkable book to the screen, and I cannot imagine collaborating with better partners than Big Beach and Walden,” said Russo-Young, whose credits include “The Sun Is Also A Star.” “Before I Fall” and the upcoming HBO docuseries “The Nuclear Family.” The director’s breakthrough came with the 2012 Sundance Award-winning indie film Nobody Walks, which he co-wrote with Lena Dunham and stars John Krasinski, Rosemary DeWitt and Olivia Thirlby. She is repped by CAA and The Sloane Show.
“The Last Animal will take viewers on a wild and unexpected journey with a mother and her two daughters as they bravely confront themselves, as well as creatures of the past and present who have something important to uncover,” said Ben Tappan, President of Production at The Last Animal. Walden. Big Beach’s Tim Foley and Michael Clarke added that they had the “best time” working with Russo-Young on the upcoming docuseries and “I can’t wait to re-team with her to bring this magical story to life with Walden.”
Walden Media is currently in production on “Nuremberg,” directed by James Vanderbilt and starring Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. Their limited series, “Manhunt: About the Search for Abraham Lincoln’s Killer John Wilkes Booth,” will premiere on Apple TV+ on March 15.
Big Beach is the Oscar and Emmy Award-winning boutique behind projects including “Little Miss Sunshine,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “The Farewell.”