EXCLUSIVE: In a very competitive situation, Sharp Objects, the high-profile drama series project starring Amy Adams that was taken out by Entertainment One and Blumhouse in February, has landed at HBO with an eight-episode straight-to-series first season order. Based on the book by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects has UnReal co-creator Marti Noxon as showrunner, Wild helmer Jean-Marc Vallée as director, and Flynn as a writer alongside Noxon. I hear there was strong interest in the project, with Netflix going aggressively after it.

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The serialized drama is an adaptation of Flynn’s 2006 best-selling debut thriller novel Sharp Objects. It originated as a feature at Alliance Films, where the book was optioned in 2011 by Blumhouse. The project morphed into a TV series as it was being developed at Blumhouse, while Alliance was acquired by eOne.

Sharp Objects centers on reporter Camille Preaker (Adams) who, fresh from a brief stay at a psychiatric hospital, must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely. The book spent more than 70 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, won two of Britain’s Dagger Awards and was shortlisted for an Edgar Award.

Noxon wrote the pilot script based on the book and will serve as showrunner and writer. Flynn is set to write multiple episodes. Vallée will direct all episodes, just as he did on HBO’s upcoming limited series Big Little Lies starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. He also will co-edit Sharp Objects.

Noxon, Flynn, Vallée and Adams executive produce Sharp Objects with Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum, Charles Layton and Jessica Rhoades as well as Vallée’s producing partner Nathan Ross. Vallée and Ross also serve as exec producers on HBO’s Big Little Lies. eOne is the studio.

Five-time Oscar nominee Adams is currently seen reprising her role as Lois Lane in Batman V Superman. She will next star in Story Of Your Life and Nocturnal Animals.

On the feature side, Vallée also directed Dallas Buyers Club and the upcoming Demolition, which opens April 8.

In addition to co-creating and executive producing Lifetime’s praised new drama UnReal, Noxon created and executive produces Bravo’s breakout first original scripted drama series Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. She also serves as executive producer on the freshman CBS medical drama series Code Black. Noxon recently signed an overall deal with Skydance Media where she is developing a series based on Sarai Walker’s novel Dietland. Additionally, Noxon is set to make her feature directorial debut with To the Bone, which she also wrote.

In addition to Gone Girl, which became David Fincher’s acclaimed film, Flynn’s best-selling novel Dark Places also was adapted into a feature starring Charlize Theron. Flynn has a pre-existing relationship with HBO where she has had an overall deal.

Blumhouse, producer of the highly profitable horror feature franchises The Purge, Insidious and Paranormal Activity, won Emmys for two previous projects with HBO – movie The Normal Heart and docuseries The Jinx. Blumhouse also produced HBO’s documentary How to Dance in Ohio.

eOne Television’s slate includes Hell on Wheels, Rogue and You Me Her, which just debuted on DirecTV. eOne also has upcoming ABC series Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland through The Mark Gordon Co.

Adams is repped by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Sloane, Offer, Weber, Dern. Noxon is reped by WME and Hansen Jacobsen. Flynn is repped by WME, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency and Jackoway Tyerman. Vallée and Ross are repped by Sloane, Offer, Weber, Dern. Blum is repped by CAA.