Arrival Writer Eric Heisserer’s Psychological Thriller Simultaneous Heads to the Big Screen

Arrival writer Eric Heisserer drops his debut psychological thriller Simultaneous this week—and Hollywood is already fast-tracking it to the big screen.

Eric Heisserer just pulled a neat trick: he released his first novel on Tuesday, and Sony has already swooped in to turn it into a movie. If you know his work, that tracks. The guy writes twisty, high-concept stuff that studios love to get their hands on.

The deal

Deadline says Sony Pictures has acquired the film rights to Heisserer’s debut novel, 'Simultaneous'. Heisserer will produce the adaptation with Carmen Lewis through his Chronology banner.

So what is 'Simultaneous'?

It’s a psychological-slash-speculative thriller about a Homeland Security investigator who tries to stop disasters before they happen and gets pulled into something way bigger than a single tip.

Our lead is federal agent Grant Lukather, who works for a little-known DHS unit called Predictive Analytics. Their job is to sift through chatter and spot patterns that could point to an attack-in-the-making. One call about a potential explosion in New Mexico sends Grant into a case that quickly stops resembling anything normal.

Enter Sarah Newcomb, a therapist who uses past-life hypnosis in her practice. Recently, her sessions have turned up a pattern that makes no logical sense and yet keeps repeating. Grant chases that thread into Colorado, where a copycat murder case seems to mirror what Sarah’s patient has been describing.

Soon, Grant, Sarah, and one of her patients are crisscrossing states and, frankly, realities. The investigation sprawls across timelines and consciousnesses, and they barely understand the rules of the thing they’re up against. The clock is ticking, and the danger isn’t confined to the present. Expect reveals on reveals, sharp turns, and a dark streak of humor underneath the dread.

Heisserer’s track record (aka why this moved fast)

• Oscar-nominated for writing 'Arrival'
• Wrote the 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' remake
• Penned 'Final Destination 5'
• Wrote the prequel to 'The Thing' (yes, the prequel that was also titled 'The Thing')
• Wrote 'Hours', 'Lights Out', 'Bird Box', and 'Bloodshot'
• Developed the Netflix series 'Shadow and Bone', based on Leigh Bardugo’s novels

The early reaction

"A twisty, mind-bending thriller that will keep you guessing until the final gut punch."

- Leigh Bardugo, author of 'Shadow and Bone'

'Bird Box' author Josh Malerman is into it too, calling out how the book makes a wild theory start to feel like the only sane explanation. And David Koepp, who wrote 'Jurassic Park', praised the premise as head-spinning with precision execution.

Timing and availability

'Simultaneous' is out now from Flatiron Books. The movie version is in motion at Sony, with Heisserer and Carmen Lewis producing under the Chronology banner.