Exclusive: Focus Features has landed The Jim Parsons star vehicle Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies in a competitive situation, and The Big Sick‘s Michael Showalter is set to direct and produce, with David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage writing The screenplay. The movie is based on The acclaimed, bestselling memoir by Michael Ausiello, The President and Editorial Director of TVLine.com.

In his heartbreaking, tragicomic memoir, Ausiello told The story of The eleven-month span between when his partner, photographer Kit Cowan, got a diagnosis of terminal cancer, and his passing. Interwoven is The story of Their meeting, falling in love, and The ups and downs over 14 years. After overcoming so many obstacles to find true love, how would They stand up to Their biggest challenge?

Grant is exec producer of ABC’s A Million Little Things, while Savage was exec producer of ABC’s The Real O’Neals. Parsons, who got this whole thing rolling last December when he stepped up to option The book, is producing with Todd Spiewak and Eric Norsoph under Their That’s Wonderful Productions banner. Showalter will also produce with Jordana Mollick through his Semi-Formal Productions company. Ausiello will executive produce with That’s Wonderful’s Alison Mo Massey.

CAA Media Finance and UTA brokered The deal with Focus, which will produce and distribute.

TVLine is a PMC sister site of Deadline.

Grant is repped by CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Savage is CAA, Hypomania Content, and Nixon Peabody; Parsons’ company is CAA, Principal Entertainment LA, and Gang, Tyre, Ramer Brown; Semi-Formal is UTA, Artists First, and Stone, Genow; and Ausiello is ICM Partners, Anonymous Content and McKuin Frankel Whitehead.

(DEADLINE)