Netflix is developing a feature film adaptation of Gary Paulsen's 1987 young adult survival novel 'Hatchet,' with Derek Cianfrance set to write and direct, according to Variety's exclusive report. Cianfrance is best known for 'Blue Valentine' (2010) and 'The Place Beyond the Pines' (2012).

Andrew Mittman, whose company 1.21 is behind Netflix's 'Wednesday,' serves as producer. This is the first serious screen take on the book since the 1990 TV movie 'A Cry in the Wild,' making the announcement a milestone for a novel that has resisted Hollywood for decades.

The surprise is not that studios circled 'Hatchet' — The A.V. Club calls it 'only a matter of time' — but that Paulsen's estate kept the IP off the market for years before finally making a deal.

Polygon notes the estate helped select Cianfrance for the project, an unusual level of creative control for rights holders who had previously declined every approach.

For readers who grew up on the book's unsparing wilderness scenes, the estate's long hold made any adaptation feel perpetually out of reach.

'Hatchet' follows 13-year-old Brian Robeson, stranded alone in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash with nothing but the hatchet his mother gave him.

Variety reports the novel won the Newbery Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature, while Polygon describes the 1988 recognition as a Newbery Honor for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Paulsen, who wrote more than 150 books in his career per The A.V. Club, expanded the story into a five-book series.

The project's producing lineup underscores how carefully the estate is guarding the material.

Jennifer Flannery and Sandy Weinberg, representatives of the estate, serve as executive producers alongside Paulsen's widow Ruth Wright Paulsen and James Wright Paulsen, Variety reports, with Kai Dolbashian executive producing via 1.21.

Polygon confirms Mittman brought the project to Netflix, and The A.V. Club adds that the estate had a say in hiring Cianfrance — a level of involvement that shaped the director choice itself.

The timing is no accident: Variety reports Mittman pitched the film amid Netflix's push into survival thrillers after 'Apex' and 'Thrash' both debuted with more than 36 million views this year.

Polygon ties the greenlight logic to the same figures, framing 'Hatchet' as the next chapter in a proven streaming lane. Polygon also notes the first edition runs a lean 185 pages, well suited to the screen.

The A.V. Club points out the risk too — a Netflix release could land in the Top 10 or get buried among the streamer's many projects.

Club reports it is unclear whether Netflix plans to adapt the sequels — 'The River' (1991), 'Brian's Winter' (1996), 'Brian's Return' (1999) and 'Brian's Hunt' (2003) — which will likely depend on the first film's success.

With Cianfrance attached and the estate executive producing, readers who were 'traumatized' by the book in elementary school, as Polygon puts it, are already imagining how the dead-body-in-the-lake scene will play on screen.