February 11, 2025: Ben Jacoby, the writer behind The First Omen, is set to adapt Thomas Ray’s gripping novella Silencer for Paramount Pictures, as reported by Deadline. The action-packed thriller follows a CIA field agent tasked with bringing in a mysterious CIA target who has been out of sight for decades. The target is no ordinary operative, but a “silencer” — an individual capable of reading minds and erasing memories from a distance, making them nearly impossible to track or capture.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce the film, with the collaboration of NeoText Corporation, the publisher behind the Silencer novella. Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder, and Jay Schuminsky will also produce on behalf of NeoText, while Greg Cohen will oversee development for di Bonaventura Pictures. Jacoby, known for his work on The Whisper Man (Netflix) and The First Omen, is poised to bring his expertise in crafting suspenseful and intense narratives to this high-stakes thriller.
Jacoby, in collaboration with Chase Palmer, co-wrote the adaptation of Alex North’s The Whisper Man for Netflix and AGBO, and he’s also been part of projects like Flash Boys, the adaptation of Michael Lewis’ The Big Short bestseller. Furthermore, Jacoby penned the screenplay for To Catch a Killer, a crime thriller directed by Damian Szifron, starring Shailene Woodley and Ben Mendelsohn.
In addition to Silencer, NeoText has been busy with other exciting projects. Recently, they sold H.A.V.E.N. to Sony Pictures, with Carter Blanchard slated to adapt the sci-fi short story. They also sold two projects to Amazon, including an adaptation of American Criminal directed by Gavin O’Connor, and a version of the novella D.N.A., supported by Simon Kinberg’s Genre Films.
With Silencer on the horizon, Jacoby’s growing portfolio of thrilling adaptations is set to offer audiences a blend of mind-bending action and psychological suspense.