Swank Buys Film Rights to French Women Don't Get Fat

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Hillary Swank and her producing partner Molly Smith have purchased the film rights to Mireille Guiliano's nonfiction book, French Women Don't Get Fat.

Swank, who is eyeing the project as a potential starring vehicle, and Smith will produce via their recently formed Alcon Entertainment-based 2S Films, along with Aaron Geller and Darryl Porter of PorterGeller Entertainment.

"Women," written by former Veuve Clicquot champagne executive Mireille Guiliano, was a domestic and international sensation when it was first published in 2004. The nonfiction, lifestyle book offered insight on how French women manage to stay slim despite enjoying such calorie-rich fare as wine and pastries. The book sold more than 1 million copies, reached No. 1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list and was translated into 40 languages. Mireille became a fixture on TV, appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," morning news shows and other programs around the world.

2S and PorterGeller, with Hach, are developing the project as a romantic comedy following a "girl-next-door champagne company middle manager who learns some tough life lessons which help her become the woman she's always wanted to be," the companies said.

Developing features around nonfiction book titles or concepts isn't new. New Line has "He's Just Not That Into You," an adaptation of the dating lifestyle tome by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo.

It will be interesting to see what Hillary Swank and Molly Smith do with this. We think it has a lot of potential. You can read an excerpt from the book here and an interview with author Mireille Guiliano here.