By Alice Warburton, Georgie Cutler and Eva Lee
Acquisition News
White Lion Claims Rights to a Peaky Blinders Inspired Cookbook
The rights to a new cookbook, inspired by the popular TV show Peaky Blinders, have been attained by White Lion. The cookbook will have 50 recipes inspired by locations from the show, including The Garrison, The Eden Club and Arrow House. Alongside this, the book will feature specially commissioned photography and stills from the series. World rights were acquired by Jessica Axe from Alice Bernardi, Director of International Brand Licensing at Banijay Brands. The Publisher has marketed it as being “everything they need to eat like the Shelby family and immerse themselves in the culinary experiences of the Peaky Blinders.” It will publish on 8 March 2022.
Bank of England’s first trade book set to be published by Cornerstone Press
Cornerstone Press has snagged the rights to Can’t We Just Print More Money? written by Rupal Patel and Jack Meaning. With a foreword written by the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, the book addresses ten key questions with the aim of helping people understand economics. UK and Commonwealth rights were acquired by Rowan Borchers from Adam Gauntlett at Peters Fraser and Dunlop. The book will be supported by a PR campaign, promoting everyday economic literacy. Patel and Meaning, co-authors of the book, explained that they want to “help demystify economics and encourage people to learn how we can use it to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the world today.” It will release in paperback, audiobook and e-book on 19 May this year.
Canelo set to publish Lancashire romance trilogy by Sasha Morgan
Canelo has acquired rights to the romance series Escape to Lilacwell by Sasha Morgan. Escape to Lilacwell follows barrister Adira Summers who quits her daytime job and purchases a campervan to travel around the UK, but ends up stranded in the Lancashire village of Lilacwell. Senior Commissioning editor Emily Bedford mentions she is “thrilled to be working with her on this series" and "Sasha knows how to deliver romance.” It is set to be published in July 2022 in e-book and paperback with the books two and three in the series to follow in 2023.
From Book to Screen – Some Highlights to Look Out For
Persuasion Adapted for Netflix
Jane Austen’s pining classic will be released on Netflix in 2022 with Dakota Johnson leading the production. Based on the 1817 book of the same name, Persuasion follows Anne Elliot (Johnson), a 27-year-old unmarried woman who finds herself confronted with the man she turned down eight years before, Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis). Directed by Carrie Cracknell, this version of Persuasion aims to give a “modern, witty approach” to Austen’s story from the screenplay written by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow. The ultimate second chance romance story will also feature the talents of Henry Golding, Richard E. Grant, Ben Bailey Smith, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Suki Waterhouse. Keep your eyes peeled for Persuasion later this year.
Conversations with Friends coming to Hulu and the BBC
Following the success of Normal People as the most streamed BBC series of 2020, Sally Rooney’s 2017 novel Conversations with Friends is getting the adaptation treatment. This TV adaptation will feature twelve episodes and star newcomer Alison Oliver, in addition to Sasha Lane, Joe Alwyn, and Jemima Kirke. Conversations with Friends follows Frances (Oliver) and Bobbi (Lane), two Dublin-based students, and their relationships with an older married couple, Melissa (Kirke) and Nick (Alwyn). Oscar-nominated Lenny Abrahamson will be returning from Normal People to direct Conversations with Friends, as well as co-writer Alice Birch. Conversations with Friends will be released on Hulu and BBC Three in spring 2022.
Daisy Jones & The Six on Amazon Prime Video
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 hit novel Daisy Jones & The Six is getting a TV miniseries presented in documentary style, with interviews capturing the essence of LA’s music scene in the 1970s. The series is set to consist of thirteen episodes based on the novel of the same name and will star Riley Keough as Daisy Jones along with Camila Morrone and Sam Claflin. The plot will focus much on the gossip, love triangles and the band’s journey in finding their passion exploring the rise and fall in the music industry. The project is set to be co-produced by Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine and Amazon Studios.
Reese Witherspoon set to produce Where the Crawdads Sing
The upcoming film based on the novel of the same name by Delia Owens is to get an adaptation also produced by Witherspoon’s company Hello Sunshine along with 3000 Pictures for Sony Pictures. The cast will star Daisy Edgar-Jones alongside Harris Dickinson and Taylor John Smith. The plot set in the 1960s and 70s of North Carolina follows Kya (Edgar-Jones), abandoned by her family as a child and left alone to survive, developing relationships with two boys from town, Tate (Smith) and Chase (Dickinson), with one death leading to a murder trial. The film will be directed by Olivia Newman with a screenplay written by Oscar-nominated Lucy Alibar. Where the Crawdads Sing is scheduled to be released on 22 July 2022.