Noah Hawley and Matthew Baker Team Up For New Fox and FX Productions

Noah Hawley’s production company, 26 Keys is undertaking several new projects for Fox and others, based on short stories by author Matthew Baker.

What’s happening:

  • According to Deadline Noah Hawley’s production company, 26 Keys has agreed to develop a new feature length film and TV pilot with writer Matthew Baker.
  • The duo will work together on two on new projects, Lost Souls and Why Visit America.
  • Lost Souls will be a feature film for Fox Searchlight.
  • The story takes place in a, “world in which some babies are born without souls. A young expectant mother is sent to an unusual wellness center in the desert, with the hopes that it will improve her chances of delivering a healthy baby.”
  • Why Visit America is a new series for FX.
  • Hawley and Baker will develop the show’s pilot with Baker writing it and Hawley serving as the executive producer.
  • The synopsis for the show reads: “Feeling the country has lost its way, the population of a tiny Texas town decide to secede. When the outside world fails to take notice, they use their new freedoms to redefine their lives and relationships.”
  • Both projects are based on Baker’s short stories. This will mark the fourth time Hawley has signed on to produce one of Baker’s stories.  

More from 26 Keys:

  • Hawley’s production company will also be working on To Be Read Backwards and for Amazon, Transition.
  • To Be Read Backwards will be adapted into a feature production for Fox.
  • The film “follows a man who begins his life at his death and learns about himself as he, and the world, unravel in reverse, ultimately revealing humanity and mystery.”
  • John Henry Butterworth will write the adaptation with Hawley slated to direct.
  • Transition, is another adaptation that 26 Keys will produce, and Joe Epstein will write.
  • “When a young man tells his family he’s planning to transition, to shed his physical body and have his mind converted to digital data, his mother struggles to come to grips with what she feels is an unimaginable decision.”

What they’re saying:

  • Noah Hawley on Matthew Baker: “Matthew is the rarest of writers, one who can turn complex, high-concept stories into sublime character-driven psalms. His work is both highly original and refreshingly human.”
  • Matthew Baker on Hawley: “Noah is one of the greatest magicians alive. Every story that he creates is like a carefully crafted magic trick that’s designed to astonish and dazzle you while simultaneously defying all explanation. He’s a truly visionary storyteller, and I’m honored and delighted to be working on so many projects together.”