EXCLUSIVE: Bruna Papandrea‘s Made Up Stories has optioned New York Times bestseller ‘Darling Girls‘ and has begun work on a TV adaptation.
The crime novel, which became an instant bestseller in the U.S. and Hepworth’s native Australia upon release this year, is billed as “a page-turning thriller about sisterhood, secrets and murder.”
The plot follows Jessica, Norah and Alicia, who return to the idyllic farming estate where they were raised by a loving foster mother when a body is discovered under the house. Though always told they were lucky to gotten a second chance at a happy family life after their own family tragedies, the sisters realize their childhood wasn’t the fairytale everyone thought it was. They find themselves trust into the spotlight as key witnesses — or prime suspects.
Irish screenwriter and producer Orlagh Collins will lead on the adaptation as executive producer an showrunner. Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Katie Amos will produce for Made Up Stories, with Hepwrth and Rob Weisback also serving as executive producers.
The deal is the latest example of how the books-to-TV adaptations market remains hot, despite the overall caution in the international market right now following the streamer reset and budgets dropping across the board. Papandrea contributed to a feature on the topic that published in our MIPCOM magazine today. She and husband Hutensky are known as two of the key protagonists in the trend over the past decade, adapting books into series such as Nine Perfect Strangers, The Undoing and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. Last week, we first reported the company has secured rights to Zoe Foster Blake’s novel ‘Things Will Calm Down Soon’.
“We love making compelling thrillers at Made Up Stories with complex women at the centre,” said Made Up Stories management in a statement. “Sally’s brilliant book has four of them and, paired with Orlagh Collins’ adaptation, we’ve been left breathless.”
“I’m thrilled to be working with Bruna, Steve and Made Up Stories to adapt ‘Darling Girls’ for series,” added Hepworth. “I’ve long admired their dynamic filmmaking and their passion for telling women’s stories, so I feel unbelievably lucky to partner with them to bring this particular story to life — one that examines three uniquely complex women at the centre of a murder investigation and the team of detectives who grossly underestimate their unbreakable bond of sisterhood.”
Hepworth is represented by CAA and Rob Weisbach Creative Management.
