Movie Adaptation Of Viktor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ Gets New Co-Writer After Death Of Simon Marshall​on March 18, 2025 at 11:57 pm

EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter J S Mayank has been tapped by producers Kate Cohen, Alexander Vesely and Tony Robbins to join Oscar nominee and Bafta winner Lesley Paterson (All Quiet on the Western Front) in writing the feature adaptation of Viktor Frankl‘s classic treatise, Man’s Search for Meaning. Paterson had been writing the script with her husband […]EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter J S Mayank has been tapped by producers Kate Cohen, Alexander Vesely and Tony Robbins to join Oscar nominee and Bafta winner Lesley Paterson (All Quiet on the Western Front) in writing the feature adaptation of Viktor Frankl‘s classic treatise, Man’s Search for Meaning. Paterson had been writing the script with her husband   

EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter J S Mayank has been tapped by producers Kate Cohen, Alexander Vesely and Tony Robbins to join Oscar nominee and Bafta winner Lesley Paterson (All Quiet on the Western Front) in writing the feature adaptation of Viktor Frankl‘s classic treatise, Man’s Search for Meaning.

Paterson had been writing the script with her husband and writing partner Simon Marshall, as was Deadline reported a year ago. At the time, Marshall had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He died in June.

After taking some time to regroup and grieve, the filmmaking team undertook a search for someone to team up with Paterson.

“Finding a writing partner who could understand and support me on this journey while at the same time servicing this masterpiece felt like an impossible ask,” Paterson said. “J S has stepped into this role seamlessly, and I’m so honored and relieved to have teamed up with him. Man’s Search for Meaning’s profoundly important message meant so much to my husband Simon.”

Published in 1946 and translated into 50 languages with more than 16 million copies sold, Frankl’s account follows his time in the Nazi concentration camps and his exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of unspeakable adversity.

“Losing Simon was a profound loss — he was an irreplaceable part of our team,” producer Cohen said. “Finding the right writer to collaborate with Lesley was a challenge, but I knew it had to be someone who could not only do justice to this extraordinary story but also bring a unique synergy to the partnership. I’ve admired J S for years, first recognizing his talent when I was a judge at the Tribeca Film Festival, and I always knew our paths would cross creatively.”

Added Mayank: “Man’s Search for Meaning is a timeless work, but its message feels more urgent than ever in a world grappling with uncertainty and a crisis of meaning. It is a privilege to work alongside Lesley and JS to bring this essential story to the screen.

“I first read Man’s Search for Meaning when I was 19 years old,” he added. “Viktor Frankl’s words have not only shaped me as a writer and an artist but as a human being. Having the opportunity to adapt his seminal work is a dream come true. Adding to the serendipity, Kate Cohen was my first mentor when I was a Tribeca fellow. We’ve had a terrific working relationship ever since, and bringing life full circle, I’m beyond honored to join this team alongside producers Alex Vesely and Tony Robbins.

“Most of all, ever since my first conversation with Lesley, I knew the two of us would make a terrific pairing,” Mayank continued. “Writing with Lesley is a delight, and we cannot wait to work together to bring Viktor Frankl’s story and philosophies to cinematic life.”

Paterson co-wrote and served as an EP on Edward Berger’s adaptation of the classic WWI novel All Quiet on the Western Front, which brought Netflix four Oscars including Best International Feature from nine nominations at the 95th Academy Awards. Paterson won a Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA for her work, sharing it with co-writers Ian Stokell and Berger. Paterson is represented by CAA, Principal Entertainment and Felker Toczek Suddleson.

Cohen’s producing credits include Transcendence, starring Johnny Depp, and Gavin O’Connor’s western Jane Got a Gun, starring Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor. She has two films set for release this year as an executive producer: Deep Water, starring Ben Kingsley and Aaron Eckhart, and the thriller Midnight, featuring Milla Jovovich and Rosario Dawson. Also on her upcoming slate is Joseph Merrick, based on the life of the person known as The Elephant Man, in partnership with Mike Medavoy.

Mayank most recently sold an original medical procedural drama to ABC, as well as the drama procedural Peculiar, produced by Eric Christian Olsen’s Cloud 9 (Matlock) to CBS. He also directed, co-wrote and show-ran the six-part scripted audio series America 2.0. Mayank has been a Tribeca fellow, a Sony Diverse Writers fellow and a Rideback Rise Circle member. He is repped by Culture Creative, Bellevue and Donaldson Callif Perez.