The playbook for modern young adult blockbusters is no longer written in Hollywood boardrooms; it is written in the comment sections of Wattpad and Webtoon. James Farrell, the former Amazon MGM Studios International head, is betting his new venture, Red Sage Studios, on that exact reality.

On Tuesday, Red Sage announced it has tapped Domingo González to write and direct the feature adaptation of She’s With Me, the first in a five-book series by Jessica Cunsolo. The project is a reunion for the core creative team behind Amazon’s Culpa Mía trilogy, which generated over 100 million views globally. By bringing back the director who turned a digital-first romance into a massive streaming success, Red Sage is signaling that it intends to replicate that specific, high-engagement formula.

The Wattpad-to-Screen Pipeline

She’s With Me is a quintessential example of the "built-in audience" strategy. The series has amassed more than 215 million reads on Wattpad, a digital storytelling platform that has become a primary hunting ground for studios looking to mitigate the risks of original IP. The story follows Amelia Collins, a girl in witness protection who inadvertently draws the attention of a notorious high school "bad boy," thrusting her into a social spotlight that threatens her anonymity.

For Farrell, the choice of González is strategic. The director’s work on the Culpa Mía trilogy—which he also adapted—proved he could bridge the gap between niche digital fandoms and broad, international streaming audiences.

"One of my favorite film trilogies at Amazon, and certainly our most successful, was Culpa Mía," Farrell said in a statement. "Those films connected with audiences around the world. I’m thrilled to be reuniting with the team for She’s With Me."

A New COO for an Expanding Slate

Beyond the creative hire, Red Sage is aggressively building out its corporate infrastructure. The studio has hired Nick Lafferty, a veteran agent from CAA, to serve as its Chief Operating Officer.

Lafferty’s move is a significant departure from his 11-year tenure at CAA, where he most recently served as Co-Head of Global Television. His background in managing talent across Latin America, Europe, and Asia suggests that Red Sage is not aiming for domestic-only success. The studio is positioning itself to be a global player from day one, leveraging Lafferty’s deep network to secure talent for a slate that is growing rapidly.

"The slate is getting bigger by the day," Farrell noted. "It was important that we add someone with an unparalleled network in talent communities around the world."

What Comes Next for Red Sage

Red Sage is operating in partnership with Sun Distribution Group, focusing on premium YA storytelling. The company’s pipeline is already well-stocked with high-profile digital IP.

Beyond She’s With Me, the studio is developing an adaptation of The Bridge Kingdom, a romantasy series by Danielle L. Jensen, and Let’s Play, based on the popular romance webcomic by Leeanne M. Krecic.

With González attached to direct and a new COO in place to manage the logistics of an international production slate, the studio is moving from the "launch" phase to the "execution" phase. The question for Red Sage is whether it can maintain the lightning-in-a-bottle success of its founders' previous Amazon projects as it scales into a standalone studio.

Key Takeaways

  • Red Sage Studios has secured Domingo González, the director of the hit Culpa Mía trilogy, to write and direct the adaptation of Jessica Cunsolo’s She’s With Me.
  • The project is a multi-studio collaboration involving Pokeepsie Films, Sun Distribution, and Webtoon Productions, aiming to leverage the series' 215 million reads on Wattpad.
  • The studio has hired CAA veteran Nick Lafferty as COO, a move intended to bolster its global talent network and manage an expanding slate of YA feature films.

For now, the focus shifts to casting and production timelines. With the Culpa Mía team back together, the studio has set a high bar for its first major test.