Will Packer Productions Sets ‘Love and Theft’ Adaptation at Universal Pictures

Will Packer Productions has tapped Leon Chills to adapt Stan Parish’s “Love and Theft” into a new movie for Universal Pictures.

Based on Parish’s novel, which was published in 2020 by Penguin Random House through its imprint at Knopf Doubleday, “Love and Theft” is a global romantic heist film set in Las Vegas, Mexico, and Spain.

Chills has previously written episodes for Netflix’s “Spinning Out” and Amazon’s “The Wilds,” where he was a story editor. On the feature side, Chills’ first spec sale was “Shadow Force,” an action drama sold to Lionsgate.

Packer and Johanna Byer will produce the movie, while Alvie Hurtado will oversee the production for WPP. Lexi Barta, Universal Pictures’ vice president of production development, will oversee on behalf of the studio.

Packer’s production company has amassed a box office haul of more than $1 billion dollars, boasting ten films that have opened at number one, including “Night School” and “Girls Trip,” which were the top grossing comedies of 2017 and 2018 respectively. Other Will Packer Productions films include “The Photograph,” “Little,” “What Men Want,” “Ride Along 2,” “No Good Deed,” “Think Like a Man Too,” “Ride Along,” “Think Like a Man,” “Takers,” “Obsessed,” “Breaking In” and “Stomp the Yard.”

Chills is represented by Jordan Lonner at UTA; Nayfeld at Heroes and Villains; Hynick at Jackoway; Parish is represented by CAA; and Barer at The Book Group and Heroes and Villains.

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