Lionsgate buys Mark Heyman's Facebook pic

HeymanAronofskyFollowing months of negotiations, Lionsgate has closed a deal to acquire "Black Swan" scribe Mark Heyman's spec script "XOXO," an elevated genre tale set in the world of Facebook, where things aren't always as they seem.Darren Aronofsky and Michael London ("Sideways") will produce through their respective shingles Protozoa Pictures and Groundswell Prods., whose Kelly Mullen brought in the project and will also be involved in a producing capacity.Described as "Fatal Attraction" for the digital age, story follows an on-the-rise executive who despite being engaged, enjoys flirting online, where he meets an alluring woman on Facebook. The two begin a virtual relationship, but as the line between online temptations and real-life possibilities begins to blur, the protag soon discovers that his Internet relationship is seeping into his actual life ... in a deadly way.Like Lionsgate's own 2005 thriller "Hard Candy," "XOXO" explores misleading digital identities, as the film also makes use of streaming video and other social-media platforms. These online interactions will be made more cinematic by employing stylized visual sequences, though no director has been brought on board yet.Alli Shearmur and Mike Paseornek, Lionsgate's heads of production, will spearhead the upscale thriller together for the studio.Heyman is Aronofsky's producing partner who was nominated for a WGA award for co-writing Aronofsky's Fox Searchlight pic "Black Swan" with Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin. Pic grossed $329 million worldwide en route to five Oscar nominations. Heyman and Aronofsky are currently developing sci-fi tale "Machine Man" for Mandalay Pictures, and he has also written "Age of Rage" for Fox Searchlight and director Marc Webb.CAA reps both Aronofsky and Heyman, who is also repped by Management 360. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com