Dennis Lehane’s A Bostonian Getting the Movie Treatment

Aftersun outfit Tango and A Private War producer Kamala Films are developing an adaptation of the Dennis Lehane thriller short story “A Bostonian,” tapping Philip Barantini to direct.

Damien Ober will adapt the short story from Shutter Island and Mystic River author Lehane, who will act as an executive producer.

“A Bostonian” is set in the world of antique dealers and estate sales. According to its synopsis, the tale “centers around Nathaniel Dodson, a mild-mannered proprietor of rare books who has developed an obsession with collecting rejection letters – something he never received when his mother abandoned him as a child.  A rumor has developed that he is in possession of a rare and extremely valuable first edition of Tamerlane and Other Poems by A Bostonian (aka Edgar Allen Poe) just as a mysterious woman appears on his doorstep claiming to be his long-lost sister. As they get to know each other, it soon becomes clear that no one is exactly who they seem.”

Barantini, who will executive produce via his It’s All Made Up Productions banner, most recently directed drama thriller Accused for Netflix. He will soon return to the streamer for a four-part crime drama, Adolescence. His second feature, Boiling Point, was nominated for four BAFTAs in 2022 and has since been adapted into a series sequel by the BBC. Brantini is repped by CAA, the U.K.’s Independent Talent, Grandview, and JSSK.

Ober, repped by Navigation Media Group, has credits such as The OA and Dominion, and wrote an adaptation of the Denis Johnson novel Train Dreams that will be directed by Clint Bentley with Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones starring. He will release his second novel, Voidverse, in 2025 via Simon & Schuster.

Lehane is repped by CAA, Echo Lake Entertainment and Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency.