Shatter Me author Tahereh Mafi‘s first contemporary standalone is on its way to the screen!
A Very Large Expanse of Sea, which follows a 16-year-old Muslim teen facing discrimination and disconnection just a year after the 9/11 terror attacks, has been optioned by Levantine Films, according to THR.
Shirin’s entire world changes after the terror attacks on September 11th. Moving to a new town certainly doesn’t go smoothly when everyone has already decided that she– and her faith– are the enemy. When she takes up a new hobby and meets Ocean, an unexpected boy at her new school who really seems to get her, Shirin doesn’t know if she can break down the walls that other peoples’ prejudices have lead her to build.
Levantine also produced the Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures as well as Blinded By The Light, a favorite at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, both of which explore multicultural issues.
Tahereh Mafi, for one, seems quite thrilled with the arrangement:
The project is still in the very early stages of development, but we’ll keep you updated as more details arise!