Lionsgate and Hidden Pictures are producing The Correspondent as a feature adaptation of Virginia Evans’s bestselling novel, with Jane Fonda attached to star and produce alongside Todd Lieberman’s Hidden Pictures.

Fonda will co-produce the film with Lieberman, and Cat Vasko is lined up as screenwriter and executive producer.

The project marks a continued collaboration between Lionsgate and Hidden Pictures, building on the success of War Machine atop Netflix’s chart for two weeks and leveraging their track record together.

Production oversight will be handled by Chelsea Kujawa, Pavan Kalidindi, Carly Kleinbart Elter, and Aydan Cohen.

The novel The Correspondent has sold over one million copies worldwide and was a major 2025 bestseller, spending 19 weeks on the New York Times list.

The story centers on Sybil Van Antwerp, a retiring sharp-witted lawyer who writes letters to impose order on her world and confronts a buried tragedy after receiving a surprising past-letter.

In the film adaptation, Fonda will portray Sybil Van Antwerp, the former lawyer who communicates through letters to reckon with her past.

The Correspondent, published April 2025, spent 17 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list and follows Sybil as she navigates a past mystery after a letter arrives.

Deadline was the first to report the sale of the rights.

Lionsgate acquired The Correspondent rights after a competitive bidding war.

Industry outlets, including The Wrap, reported the core details on March 18, 2026, with further coverage from Variety and ScreenRant.

Jane Fonda will star in The Correspondent, adapting Virginia Evans’s New York Times bestseller.