Leslye Headland Set to Direct and Adapt CULT OF LOVE Movie

Cult of Love is officially coming to the screen. The Leslye Headland play, which premiered on Broadway in December of 2024, will be made into a film from producers Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum under their Gloria Sanchez Productions banner, Deadline reports. The movie is currently in the development stage, with Headland set to adapt the screenplay and direct the feature. Casting and production details have yet to be announced.

In an interview with Variety in January, Headland first dropped the news that a screen adaptation was forthcoming, noting that she was working with cinematographer Chris Teague to adapt it for film. "We’ve talked a lot about visuals rather than how to textually adapt it. The music would be interesting, too. Diegetic music like ours is always really cool to execute."

Headland is not new to the director's chair, having previously helmed 2012's Bachelorette and 2015's Sleeping with Other People. Her most recent directorial outing was the Star Wars series The Acolyte, where she also served as creator and showrunner.

Leslye Headland’s Cult of Love opened at the Helen Hayes Theater in December of 2024, closing in February.. The production was directed by Trip Cullman and starred Shailene Woodley, Zachary Quinto, Barbie Ferreira, Christopher Lowell, Mare Winningham, David Rasche, Molly Bernard, Roberta Colindrez, Rebecca Henderson, and Christopher Sears. Check out reviews from the production here.

In Cult of Love, it’s the holiday season for the Dahl family, and the four adult children return to their childhood home with partners in tow. The Dahl traditions include singing carols in harmony at the drop of a hat, but the gathering is anything but harmonious. Old conflicts resurface, new issues battled, and dinner is taking absolutely forever to be served. Will the love the Dahls have for each other be enough to get them through, or will this be their last Christmas together?

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus