Paul Verhoeven will once again adapt a novel by Philippe Djian

The Dutch filmmaker will bring to the screen the thriller Without counting by French Philipe Djian. As with Elle and Benedetta, French producer Saïd Ben Saïd is in charge.

In the latest issue, on newsstands since August 23, the producer Said Bin Said told us exclusively that his next joint project with Paul Verhoeven will be Without countinga novel by Philippe Djian released at the start of the year. seven years later Sheadapted from Oh… of the same Djian, the Dutch scenario writer confirms his interest for the strange universe of the French novelist, also author of 37°2, in the morning.

Without counting tells the story of Nathan, a journalist, fascinated by Gaby, his mother-in-law, a poetess. The latter lives on the same property as Nathan and his wife, a vast estate. The day a promoter tries to buy part of the land to build an amusement park and comes up against Gaby’s categorical refusal, things get worse: a deputy gets annoyed, a hiker mysteriously disappears and Nathan’s reason wavers. The novel is told from the sole point of view of Nathan whose reader embraces certainties and questions.

Contents of Première n°543: Jonathan Cohen, the Tapie series, Avatar, Justine Triet, Michel Gondry, One Piece…

Paul Verhoeven, filmmaker of perversity and pretense (Robocop, Basic Instinct, Showgirls…), saw its rating plummet in Hollywood at the end of the 20th century, suffering several failures (Starship Troopers, Hollow Man… ). After Black Book (2006) filmed in his native country, it was producer Saïd Ben Saïd who revived the filmmaker. First there was She in 2016, then Benedetta in 2021.

For now, Paul Verhoeven has found screenwriter Edward Neumeier (Robocop, Starship Troopers) for the erotic thriller Young Sinner.