Jawbone: Michelle Garza Cervera to direct English-language TV adaptation of Monica Ojeda’s coming-of-age horror novel

Jawbone is finally moving forward and jumping its way from page to screen, and it's already on its way up to be something extremely unforgettable. Michelle Garza Cervera, the filmmaker behind Huesera: The Bone Woman, has been called in to direct the English-language TV adaptation of Monica Ojeda's eerie coming-of-age horror novel, as per a report published by Deadline.

The project will take Ojeda's unsettling story of friendship, fear, and obsession and adapt it for TV, promising a show that's as haunting as the book itself. Fans of horror are in for a chilling treat, and fans who've read the book simply cannot wait!

Michelle Garza Cervera steps into the haunting world of Jawbone

When a story like Jawbone gets adapted from page to screen, you want a director who understands the depth and the creeping horror that tags along like a free gift with it. That's exactly where Michelle Garza Cervera comes in.

After being recognized for Huesera: The Bone Woman, she's now one of the most exciting new voices when it comes to horror. Her way of blending human vulnerability with the supernatural perhaps makes her a perfect fit for this adaptation.

Writer and producer Jaquen Castellanos, known for The Affair and American Rust, will also be working on the script.

On the production end, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Kyzza Terrazas are handling the project under their company La Corriente del Golfo, while Nick Antosca, known for Chucky, brings his own horror expertise to the table.

With Universal International Studios involved, this isn't just another adaptation. It's a major push to bring Ojeda's dark novel into the mainstream with a team that truly gets it.

Garza Cervera herself has been on a roll. After winning big at Tribeca with her debut, she's now building a career that thrives on unsettling themes. From psychological breakdowns to terrifying bonds, she knows how to make the screen feel intimate and frightening at once.

If Jawbone is about the fragility of adolescence, then Cervera is the kind of filmmaker who can peel back the layers and show its most dangerous edges.

The haunting core of Ojeda’s Jawbone

At the center of Jawbone are Fernanda and Annelise, two friends so close they seem inseparable. But behind that closeness is a story that spirals into obsession, danger, and betrayal.

The novel shocks readers from the start with Fernanda trapped in a cabin by one of her teachers, estranged from Annelise, and the mystery of how she got there hanging like a storm cloud. It's a coming-of-age tale, but one laced with menace.

Ojeda's writing doesn't just tell a story; it drenches it in atmosphere. She weaves in pop culture nods, horror influences, and even the feel of creepypastas from the internet. The novel pushes into that fragile stage between adolescence and adulthood, showing how desire, fear, and violence can collide in terrifying ways.

Bringing that onto the screen will mean more than just scares. It's about mood, about tapping into the unease of teenage years where friendships blur into obsessions and boundaries are constantly tested.

With Annelise leading her friends into dangerous rituals and teachers unraveling into madness, the story dives into horror both supernatural and psychological. If done right, the show could carry the same suffocating intensity that made Ojeda's book so unsettling.

For viewers who crave horror that isn't just about jump scares but about something deeper, like the terror of growing up and not knowing where safety ends and danger begins, Jawbone is bound to strike a chord.

Jawbone's leap from novel to television isn't just another instance of adaptation. With Michelle Garza Cervera steering the project and a creative team stacked with experience, the show has the potential to bring Monica Ojeda's dark, lyrical horror to an entirely new audience.

It's a story about adolescence at its most volatile, and in the hands of this team, it could become one of the most gripping and haunting series in the coming years.

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