Anna Klassen Tapped To Adapt Anna Shilling Novel ‘All In Monte Carlo’ For Leonine Studios

EXCLUSIVE: After being enlisted by Amazon MGM Studios to adapt the recent novel The Last Sunrise from the After book series’ Anna Todd, Anna Klassen has inked a deal to pen an adaptation of the Anna Shilling novel All in Monte Carlo: Inspired by True Events for Germany’s Leonine Studios.

Published by Matador in 2023, the book is billed as First Wives Club meets The Devil Wears Prada, set in Monaco. The novel follows four women who cross paths in Monte Carlo — each, with their own story of betrayal. Together, the women form a secret pact — disguised as a book club— to exact revenge. But as their schemes unfold, they discover that getting payback, much like life itself, is rarely straightforward.

Leonine’s North American Head of Film, Esther Hornstein, is overseeing the project for the studio.

Set in Majorca, Klassen’s The Last Sunrise tells the story of 22-year-old Oriah “Ry” Pera, who has had her life shaped by chronic illness and a well-meaning but overbearing mom. When a summer relocation gives her a taste of freedom, she meets Julián, who draws her into the kind of adventure she’s always longed for. But with a return to the U.S. on the horizon, Ry faces a decision that could change everything. Maia Reficco will star alongside Eva Longoria, with Carlson Young set to direct the Anna Todd adaptation.

Klassen broke out with the spec When Lightning Strikes, which was featured at the top of the 2017 Black List and tells the true story of J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series. After that, she wrote A Time Lost for Netflix with Millie Bobby Brown attached to star and produce, also penning a draft of Dorothy & Alice for Netflix with Screen Arcade producing, in addition to adapting an Anna Todd novel for the streamer. Prior to her work in film, she was a trade journalist who carried bylines in Newsweek, The Daily Beast, and Bustle. She left her post as the Entertainment Editor of Bustle to focus solely on screenwriting in 2018.

One of Germany’s leading independent media companies, Leonine was acquired by France’s Mediawan in 2024. Recent projects from the studio include the A24 film Warfare from Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, action thriller The Dead of Winter starring Emma Thompson, and the Netflix genre-bender Brick starring Matthias Schweighöfer.

Klassen is represented by Untitled Entertainment, WME, and Myman Greenspan Fox.