Christopher Pike’s Young Adult Novel ‘Die Softly’ Optioned for Movie Adaptation [Exclusive]

The work of prolific author Christopher Pike has rarely found its way onto the screen, with Mike Flanagan’s recent Netflix series “The Midnight Club” being the most notable screen adaptation of Pike’s vast body of work. Up next? Pike’s 1991 young adult novel Die Softly is headed to the screen, and Bloody Disgusting has the exclusive scoop for you this week.

We’ve learned that Shatterproof Films, a Los Angeles-based production company specializing in elevated genre films, has optioned the rights to Die Softly, the acclaimed young adult thriller by bestselling author Christopher Pike. This move marks the beginning of the development and the adaptation of the bestseller with filmmaker John Berardo (Initiation, The Mannequin) expected to write and direct the anticipated feature adaptation of Pike’s thriller novel.

“I’ve been a fan of Christopher Pike since I was a teenager,” director John Berardo said in a statement shared with Bloody Disgusting this week. “Die Softly was one of the first books that truly influenced who I am as a storyteller. To have the opportunity to bring this work to a new generation, visually, psychologically, and cinematically, is a full-circle moment.”

The 1991 novel Die Softly tells the story of a high school photographer whose secret act of voyeurism turns deadly when he realizes his camera may have captured a murder in progress.

“This is a wild and crazy story. I can’t believe I wrote it,” said Pike.

The film will honor the spirit of Pike’s story while reimagining it with a contemporary lens, exploring themes of digital voyeurism and the blurred boundaries between privacy and performance. The adaptation promises “an exciting creative partnership between Pike and Berardo, merging the author’s signature suspense with Berardo’s modern visual storytelling.”

Stay tuned for more on the film version of Christopher Pike’s Die Softly.