Amazon MGM Studios Lands Psychosexual Thriller Pitch ‘The Killing Kind’ From Zach Helm; Maximum Effort To Produce

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon MGM Studios has moved to preemptively acquire The Killing Kind, a psychosexual thriller pitch from screenwriter Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction), which Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort is attached to produce, sources tell Deadline.

Amazon MGM declined comment. Specifics as to the plot of the film are under wraps for the moment.

Helm comes to The Killing Kind after working in the same vein as the co-writer of Deep Water, the erotic thriller, starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, from Fatal Attraction‘s Adrian Lyne. Well acquainted with various genres, he’s perhaps best known for writing Stranger Than Fiction, the beloved Columbia Pictures dramedy starring Will Ferrell, which brought him nominations at both the WGA Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards. A celebrated playwright whose play Good Canary was most recently directed by John Malkovich in London, Helm also wrote and directed 20th Century Fox’s family film Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, starring Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Bateman. Currently, he’s scripting the family flick As If for Disney and producer Justin Springer.

Maximum Effort is coming off off an extraordinary summer with Deadpool & Wolverine, which is now the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time at a worldwide gross exceeding $1.3 billion. Forthcoming projects from the company include Legendary’s R-rated live-action/animation hybrid Animal Friends, Kenneth Branagh’s psychological thriller The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde, and Apple/Skyndance’s action adventure pic Mayday starring Reynolds and Branagh.

Helm is represented by Gotham Group and attorney David Matlof at Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum.