Daniel Peddle Signs On to Adapt Michael Sledge’s Debut Southern Crime Novel ‘Cold Moon Rising’

Daniel Peddle, the director behind The Aggressives and Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later, has signed on to adapt Michael Sledge’s debut Southern crime thriller Cold Moon Rising, Deadline reported on August 20. The project centers on Sledge’s novel, which begins with a violent home invasion and then expands into what Deadline described as a spiraling web of danger and fallout.

Deadline’s exclusive report says the adaptation is based on the book Cold Moon Rising, with Sledge credited as the author of the novel. The announcement frames the story as a Southern crime thriller, building from the premise of a home invasion that triggers a broader escalation rather than remaining confined to a single incident.

Peddle’s involvement extends his prior screen work that has already placed him in the orbit of crime-adjacent storytelling and audiences drawn to tense, character-driven conflict. Deadline linked him directly to the adaptation after his directing credits on The Aggressives and Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later, both of which Deadline described as part of his body of work.

The report does not detail production timelines, casting, or which studio, platform, or distributor will release the adaptation. It also does not specify whether the screenplay will follow the novel’s structure closely or whether there will be major changes to the plot beyond the central home-invasion premise.

Cold Moon Rising is presented in the announcement as Sledge’s debut novel, positioning the adaptation as a new on-ramp for a writer moving from publication into film development. In that sense, the agreement represents an early stage in translating the book’s premise to a visual narrative, with development details expected to emerge later as rights, screenplay assignments, and production partners take shape.

For audiences and industry observers, the deal is likely to be watched for how the adaptation handles the escalation described by Deadline, particularly when stories of home invasion and violence require careful framing in order to keep attention on character and consequences rather than sensationalism. If and when additional information is released, the next steps will typically include confirmation of a screenwriter, the production entity, and the plan for securing financing and schedules for the project.