‘The Girl On The Train’: Emily Blunt And Kate Mara In Talks For Movie Adaptation

With the success of Paula Hawkins’ debut novel, The Girl on the Train, it should come as no surprise that movie studios would quickly snag the rights for a cinematic adaptation. Now, it looks like the movie version of the popular novel has found its lead actress.

According to Variety, Edge of Tomorrow actress Emily Blunt is currently being considered for the role of Rachel in the Girl on the Train adaptation. The Help director, Tate Taylor, will helm the project with a screenplay from Erin Cressida Wilson, who penned Secretary and Chloe. Marc Platt is attached to produce the film, and Jared LeBoff will serve as executive producer.

Another name that has been rumored to be hopping on the Girl on the Train adaptation is Kate Mara, who will next be seen in the reboot of the Fantastic Four. According to the Wrap, Mara could wind up playing one of the other lead female roles, but it hasn’t been determined which specific character she will play.

The Girl on the Train was projected to be a bestseller, and DreamWorks had acquired the rights to the film adaptation before the book even hit shelves, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Since its release at the beginning of this year, the book has sold more than 2 million copies, making it the fastest-selling adult novel to ever be released.

The book is drawing comparisons to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl in that its story unravels from multiple viewpoints, and all of the narrators are unreliable people. Rachel, the main narrator, is a divorced alcoholic who commutes back and forth on the train to London each day. She obsesses over a girl named Anna, who also narrates the story and is married to Rachel’s ex-husband, Tom. On her commute, she spots a happy couple, whom she nicknames Jason and Jess. Jess, whose real name is Megan, is also a narrator of the novel, and she winds up missing one day. The investigation gets underway, and Rachel may unknowingly be connected to it.

The Girl on the Train has drawn rave reviews from critics, including NPR’s Michael Schaub, who called the book “Hitchcockian.”

“This is Hawkins’ first thriller — she’s a journalist by training — but it doesn’t read like the work of someone new to suspense. The novel is perfectly paced, from its arresting beginning to its twist ending; it’s not an easy book to put down.”

Have you read The Girl on the Train? If so, how does the casting of Emily Blunt and Kate Mara sound to you?

[Photos: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, and via the Kansas City Star]