Viral Venmo story to be made into a movie
Frank and Ivanna Borin are to direct When a Stranger Venmos, a movie adaptation of viral short story A Complete Stranger Sent Me 10k On Venmo — But There Was A Catch.
Frank and Ivanna Borin are to direct a movie adaptation of viral short story A Complete Stranger Sent Me 10k On Venmo — But There Was A Catch.
The husband-and-wife duo - who are best known for their work on music videos for the likes of Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow and Tyga - have signed up to work on When a Stranger Venmos after Joe Russo and Chris LaMont secured the rights to Holly Riordan's 2022 tale.
The couple said in a statement: “We’ve been obsessed with When a Stranger Venmos from the moment we read it.
"We were pulled in by how this horror thriller takes the anxiety of modern-day survival in today’s America and turns it into something sharp, fast, and terrifying. It’s the kind of story that speaks directly to what young people are feeling right now and that’s the secret weapon of the genre.”
Riordan published her story on website Thought Catalog in 2022 and it focuses on an assistant who is struggling to survive in Los Angeles until a complete stranger offers her increasing sums of money to complete stranger and stranger challenges, leading the woman to have to decide how far she is willing to go to pay her bills.
Matt Smith and Dan Gedman will produce for Highway 10 and are excited by the script they were presented with by Russo - who is the namesake of the Avengers filmmaker - and LaMont.
They said: “Russo and LaMont’s fast-paced thriller immediately excited us with its compelling mystery, franchisable villain, and most importantly the culturally relevant questions it was asking of what Gen Z is both forced and willing to do to get ahead in the modern world.
"We have long wanted to work with Frank and Ivanna Borin. Their style, sensibility and connectivity to youth culture make them the perfect directors for this project.”
Author Riordan spent eight years working at Thought Catalog, which reaches over 60 million monthly readers, and has written her own books including sci-fi story Forget Her and thriller The Guilty Twin.
Based on Long Island, Riordan is a thriller author who spent eight years as a senior staff writer at Thought Catalog, bringing hundreds of millions of views to the site, which has been a pioneer in digital media since 2010, reaching over 60M monthly readers across its network. She has over 90K followers across platforms and has written books like thriller The Guilty Twin, as well as Forget Her, a work of science fiction. She is repped by Helen Heller at the Helen Heller Agency.
The writer is delighted her tale is being turned into a movie.
She wrote on Instagram: "Exciting news!! I’m thrilled to announce that my short story has been adapted into a screenplay written by Joe Russo and Chris LaMont with Frank and Ivanna Borin attached to direct and Matt Smith and Dan Gedman producing.
"They’re all extremely talented and have been so incredible throughout this entire process. I can’t wait for everyone to see the finished product!"
