Searchlight Acquires ‘Grand Rising’ by A.C. Robinson

Searchlight Pictures is kicking off 2026 with a major win in Hollywood’s competitive literary-to-screen market.

What’s Happening:

According to Deadline, Searchlight Pictures has secured the rights to Grand Rising, a chilling short story by A.C. Robinson, with Emmy-winning Lena Waithe adapting and blockbuster director Steven Caple Jr. at the helm.
Described as a psychological horror-thriller, the film’s logline remains tightly under wraps, keeping fans eager for more details.
Waithe will produce under her Hillman Grad banner, with Caple Jr. producing through Grey Skies Pictures, and Scott Glassgold producing via 12:01 Films. Jeannette Francis will serve as executive producer for Grey Skies Pictures. The project is being overseen at Searchlight by SVP of Production Rayne Roberts and Creative Executive Cameron Chidsey, reporting to Heads of Production and Development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.
In a statement to Deadline, Waithe said:
"A.C.’s short story is funny, timely, and soul-stirring. I am beyond grateful to work with Steven Caple Jr., Scott Glassgold, and Searchlight Pictures to bring this psychological thriller to life."
Caple Jr. added:
"Robinson has crafted something that’s both deeply intimate and genuinely unsettling. It’s new territory for me as a director, and working with Lena and Searchlight to bring this family’s story to the screen is the kind of creative challenge that excites me most."
Grey Skies Pictures, launched just last year, is currently producing Netflix’s upcoming Man on Fire series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and developing I Am Legend 2 for Warner Bros., featuring Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan. Additional projects in development include Thieves’ Gambit for Lionsgate and Ghost Fleet for Paramount under Grey Skies’ first-look deal. Caple Jr., who most recently directed the pilot block for Man on Fire, previously helmed Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which grossed $439 million worldwide, and Creed II, which earned $214 million globally.
Waithe, a versatile Emmy-winning writer, producer, and actor, is also known for her work on Master of None and The Chi. Her recent projects include the Emmy-nominated documentary Being Mary Tyler Moore, the 2023 Sundance films A Thousand and One and Kokomo City, and the Tony-nominated play Ain’t No Mo’. In November 2024, she launched Legacy Talk, a podcast celebrating Black storytellers. She is also preparing for her theatrical debut in trinity at Baltimore Center Stage this February.
Robinson, whose literary acclaim began with her debut novel Hardly Strangers, has expanded Grand Rising into a novel set to be published via Simon & Schuster / Atria imprint 12:01 Books, a joint venture between Emily Bestler and Glassgold.
The deal underscores a continuing hot streak for producer Scott Glassgold and 12:01 Films, which saw a flurry of high-profile projects in 2025, including Amazon’s Code Black with Jake Gyllenhaal, Netflix’s The Operator with Mark Wahlberg, and 20th Century Studios’ Ripped starring Dwayne Johnson. Upcoming projects include Drew Hancock’s adaptation of My Wife and I Bought a Ranch for Amazon.
With Waithe adapting, Caple Jr. directing, and Searchlight backing the project, Grand Rising promises to be a major entry in the psychological thriller space, blending suspense, intimacy, and a fresh cinematic perspective.

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Searchlight Pictures Scores A.C. Robinson’s ‘Grand Rising’ With Lena Waithe Adapting and Steven Caple Jr. Directing

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