Cynthia Erivo To Star In Film Adaptation Of Her Sci-Fi Thriller Podcast 'Carrier'

Fresh off her Oscar nods for Harriet, Cynthia Erivo is heading to the sci-fi genre. The Oscar-nominated actress, who has lent her voice to Carrier, a hit sci-fi thriller podcast created by audio studio QCode and Dan Blank, will now be starring in a feature film adaptation of that podcast for Amblin Partners.

Scripted podcast adaptations are all the rage on the small screen, but Carrier will be hitting the big screen thanks to Erivo. The Tony, Grammy, and Emmy-winning actress, who now has two Oscar nominations under her belt, is producing and starring in Carrier, based on the hit sci-fi thriller podcast that took the podcast world by storm in late 2019. Erivo originally starred in the podcast and will be reprising her role in the feature adaptation for Amblin Partners, which acquired the film rights to Carrier, according to Deadline.

Carrier follows Raylene (Erivo), a truck driver "who accepts an off-the-books long haul trucking assignment to cover for her ill father. She soon realizes that her mysterious cargo is a threat to the world and various forces begin targeting her to control or destroy it." Blank, who created the seven-episode scripted podcast, will also write and direct the film.

The project marks Erivo's first time as a feature film producer, with the actress producing Carrier alongside Automatik's Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Midnight Special), with QCode partner Rob Herting. She had also produced the podcast, which was named Apple's Best Fiction Show of the Year. Fred Berger and David Henning are executive producing the Carrier feature film.

"It's an absolute pleasure to be able to bring this podcast to the screen and marks the beginning of a new adventure in creativity for me as a producer," Erivo said in a statement.

Amblin Partners' president of production Jeb Brody is overseeing the film alongside creative executive John Buderwitz, and Brody added, "A great story can transcend its medium to find new forms and new audiences. Cynthia, Dan and QCode created a gripping and entertaining podcast that deserved all the praise and attention it garnered. We can't wait to work with them to tell this story in its next evolution."

With the success of podcast adaptations like Julia Roberts' Homecoming on the small screen, it was only a matter of time before one made it to the big screen. Carrier marks QCode's first feature film adaptation, though the company has several "pod-to-screen" adaptations in the works.