Sydney Sweeney to Produce and Star in Film Adaptation of My Reddit Short Story

Massachusetts Teacher’s Reddit Story Lands Hollywood Deal with Sydney Sweeney

Joe Cote, a 34-year-old high school teacher from Massachusetts, found himself in a surreal whirlwind this week as news broke that his Reddit short story, written during the pandemic, is being adapted into a Warner Bros. film produced by and starring Sydney Sweeney.

Cote initially ignored a message from an LA talent manager about his 2020 story but later secured a Hollywood deal.

Cote’s Gone Girl-inspired tale, “I pretended to be a missing girl,” went viral on Reddit in 2020. Four years later, talent manager Noah Folbe discovered the post and reached out. Skeptical at first, Cote eventually agreed to a Zoom call. “I don’t think I breathed during that call,” he told DailyMail.com. “It felt unbelievable.”

The thriller follows a protagonist who impersonates a missing teen to rob her family. Cote wrote it in his kitchen, his Shiba Inu, Leo, at his feet. “I just wanted to make people feel the thrill I get from stories like Gillian Flynn’s,” he said.

Sydney Sweeney will produce and star in the film adaptation through her company, Fifty-Fifty Films.

Despite the Hollywood buzz, Cote remains grounded. The day after the announcement, he was back handing out bathroom passes and guiding students through study guides. “My phone hasn’t stopped. People I haven’t spoken to in years are reaching out,” he laughed.

Folbe, the manager who championed Cote’s work, recalled stumbling on the Reddit post. “The title hooked me. The twist was genius—I knew it was gold,” he said. Warner Bros. later secured rights in a competitive bidding war.

Cote wrote the story in his cousin’s kitchen during COVID, fueled by a love for mystery novels.

Cote, who teaches creative writing, had never shared his work online before. “Posting it was out of my comfort zone, but the response was overwhelming,” he said. The story remains one of Reddit’s top posts in its category.

While he kept the deal under wraps initially, Cote now looks ahead. “We’re not done. There are more stories to tell,” he said. Folbe added, “Joe’s career is just beginning.”

For now, Cote balances teaching with newfound fame, proving that sometimes, dreams do come true—one Reddit post at a time.

The story became one of Reddit’s top posts, setting Cote on an unexpected path to Hollywood.

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