Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired North American rights to Baby Ruby, the TIFF thriller starring Noémie Merlant (Portrait Of A Lady On Fire) and Kit Harington (Game Of Thrones).

The movie, which marks the feature directorial debut of playwright Bess Wohl (Grand Horizons), tells the story of Jo (Merlant), a successful, French lifestyle entrepreneur who is happily pregnant, awaiting the arrival of her first child. But soon after Jo welcomes baby Ruby home, something starts to feel off– even though she’s assured it’s all perfectly normal. As she fights to protect herself and her baby, she is plunged into a waking fever dream where everyone is a threat and nothing is what it seems.

The deal was negotiated by Magnolia EVP Dori Begley and SVP of Acquisitions John Von Thaden, with Glen Basner at FilmNation Entertainment. Magnet plans to release the film next year.

A Page Fifty-Four Pictures and Point Productions feature, producers are Alex Saks, Lauren Beveridge, Brett Beveridge, and Jeffrey Penman. In addition to Merlant and Harington, cast includes Meredith Hagner and Jayne Atkinson. Script comes from Wohl.

“Bess Wohl shows how terrifying the pursuit of a ‘perfect life’ can be,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Noémie Merlant convincingly inhabits the role of a woman who has it all.”

“I am tremendously proud that Baby Ruby has found a home with Magnet and can’t wait for audiences to discover and experience this emotional, raw, and mind-bending time in the life of a young couple,” said director-writer Bess Wohl.

Upcoming Magnet releases include Carlota Pereda’s Sundance Midnight title Piggy and Mali Elfman’s Tribeca supernatural road movie Next Exit. [Source]