A feature film adaptation of Leslye Headland’s stage play Cult of Love is in development.
Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum are set to produce the feature adaptation of the play under their Gloria Sanchez Productions banner. Headland is set to adapt the screenplay and direct.
The play, which ran on Broadway from November 2024 through January 2025, focuses on the “complex sin of pride” as a family returns to their parents house for Christmas. The production, which was well-reviewed by critics, ran at the Second Stage’s Hayes Theater, with a cast including Shailene Woodley, Zachary Quinto and Barbie Ferreira. Casting for the film will be announced at a later date.
Ferrell and Elbaum previously produced Headland’s Bachelorette, starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, and her film, Sleeping with Other People, starring Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie. Headland was also the creator and showrunner on the Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte.
Headland has seen several of her works on stage, including Bachelorette, which was produced by Second Stage Theater in its Uptown Series, and The Layover, at the Kiser Theater, formerly owned by Second Stage. She previously wrote a play series, Seven Deadly Plays, and Cult of Love marks the final chapter of that series.
“Leslye’s voice is singular—darkly funny, wildly insightful, and deeply human,” Elbaum said. “We couldn’t be more excited to help bring Cult of Love to a wider audience.”
“To be making Cult of Love with Will and Jessica— two producers who champion bold, unapologetic storytelling — is a true creative homecoming,” Headland said. “This story has lived in my bones for years, and I can’t wait to bring it to the screen with partners who embrace its chaos and heart.”
