As existing IP becomes the focus of film projects, Penguin Random House has renewed its focus on book-to-film adaptations, with seven titles recently optioned across children’s, serious crime and adult dramas.
Liz Barnett, head of strategic IP and media development at Penguin Random House, said further deals were in the works.
“We are confident that our incredible roster of writers, formidable catalog, and strong connections with producers, writers, and commissioners will lead to our next on-screen hits,” she said.
CJZ has optioned the rights to RA Spratt’s children’s book series Friday Burns, which follows an 11-year-old detective.
Claire Tonkin, head of drama at the production company, said Spratt had created an iconic character who was “part Nancy Drew, part Sherlock Holmes and always unapologetically himself” and said she couldn’t wait to work on the next chapter of the series.
Across the ditch, South Pacific Pictures has acquired the rights to Kiwi authors Gareth and Louise Ward’s mystery series The Bookshop Detectives. The book focuses on two New Zealand booksellers (loosely based on the author) who find themselves at the center of a decades-long crime spree. Penguin Random House said the pitch for this series was highly competitive.
Kerry Martin, CEO of South Pacific Pictures, said: “We are delighted to have acquired the rights to this fun and engaging Kiwi book series and look forward to working with Gareth and Louise Ward to develop it for film.”
Directors Michael and Peter Spierig have acquired the rights to The Alison Baden-Clay Murder by journalist David Murray. The book is a true crime investigation report into the disappearance and murder of Ms Baden-Clay in Queensland, tracing the process from the time her husband filed her missing person report to her trial for her murder.
Archipelago Productions has optioned Fiona Kidman’s Ricochet Baby, about a planned pregnancy turned into crisis, while Shapeshifter Pictures has shot Kyle Perry’s The Deep, a Tasmanian thriller about a boy long thought dead who returns to his criminal fishing family.
Veronica Fury’s new production company, Fury Films, has optioned the children’s book The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee by Deborah Abella. The story follows a talented but painfully shy girl who, with the support of her family, overcomes past fears and fierce competition to pursue her dream of winning a spelling bee.
Wise Goat Productions produced The Wattle Island Book Club by Sandy Docker. This is a dual-chronology novel about a 1950 woman and a modern-day librarian whose lives intertwine through a troubled island book club as long-buried secrets come to the surface.
