By Georgie Cutler, Eva Lee, Emma Leask, Molly Pearce and Niamh Parr
Acquisition News
Angry Robot signs Peter Pan retelling from Low
Independent fantasy and science fiction publisher Angry Robot has acquired a new and “exciting subversion” of the classic Peter Pan story from P.H. Low. These Deathless Shores is currently set for publication on 7 September 2024 in both eBook and paperback and will be Low’s debut work. The story follows Jordan, who used to be a Lost Boy on the magical island of Neverland but now faces the harsh reality of adult life. Deciding that there’s nothing to lose, she returns to the island, intent on facing Peter Pan himself one last time. She’s been suffering from withdrawals from Dust as she’s grown up in the real world, and she wants Peter to face the consequences for the harm he’s caused her. A gender-bent reimagining of Captain Hook’s origin story in a fascinating South Asian-inspired world, this book is perfect for fans of gritty, dark fairy tales from the perspective of a vengeance-seeking villain.
Chatto & Windus acquires Fargo’s Wuthering Heights-inspired drama
Chatto & Windus, an imprint of Penguin Random House (PRH), has acquired Layne Fargo’s modern retelling of the infamous relationship between Emily Brontë’s Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, were acquired by Kaiya Shang, Commissioning Editor at Chatto & Windus, from Denise Cronan at PRH in a twelve-hour pre-empt for a two-book deal. Fargo’s novel, called The Favourites, focuses on the tempestuous relationship between Olympic figure skating partners Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha as an investigative documentary is set to release regarding the heavily-speculated reasons behind the couple’s sudden downfall ten years ago. Slated to be for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Maggie O’Farrell, The Favourites will be a lead title for Chatto & Windus and is expected to be published in early 2025.
From Book to Screen
What to Watch?
The Three-Body Problem English Netflix Adaptation
Good news for fans of The Three-Body Problem trilogy written by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, as Netflix is to create an English language adaptation of the book. The sci-fi drama is set to be directed and produced by Game of Thrones duo D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. Featuring a big cast, we’ll see the likes of Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Jonathan Pryce, John Bradley and Rosalind Chao. The novel, set in the era of China's cultural revolution, follows a physicist named Ye Wenjie who discovers that Earth is being invaded by an alien civilisation. Different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the aliens and help them take over a world or prepare to fight against the impending invasion. Earlier this year, Tencent Video released a Chinese adaptation titled Three-Body, available to watch on YouTube with English subtitles. The expected release date for the Netflix series is January 2024.
In the Works
The Exorcist sequel coming to cinemas soon
An upcoming sequel to the 1973 infamous horror cult classic The Exorcist will be released in October 2023. The film, entitled The Exorcist: Believer, follows the events of the original Exorcist film, wherein a twelve-year-old girl becomes possessed by a demonic presence, forcing her loved ones to turn to desperate measures in the form of an exorcism by a priest. Although this film is the sixth in the Exorcist series, it is the first that will explore the immediate sequel and will be the first of three new films in the franchise. The Exorcist: Believer will star Ellen Burstyn as Chris McNeill for the first time since the 1973 original. Alongside Burstyn, the film will also star original Exorcist actress Linda Blair as well as Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Glass Onion) and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale, Hereditary). The film will be directed by David Gordon Green, who also directed the newest editions to the Halloween franchise as well as the black comedy Pineapple Express. It is set to be released by Universal Pictures on 13 October 2023, and we can’t wait to see what this new supernatural instalment has to offer.
Leslye Headland joins The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo adaptation
The Russian Doll director Leslye Headland has been attached to direct the adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestselling novel. Liz Tigelaar is set to write the screenplay for the project. The Netflix series will be based on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a TikTok favourite that sat at the top of the New York Times Bestselling Paperback list for over 100 weeks. It focuses on Evelyn Hugo, a reclusive Old-Hollywood starlet who decides to finally give a tell-all interview to the unknown reporter Monique Grant. Netflix has yet to release the casting of Evelyn or Monique, but many fans have thrown Jessica Chastain’s name into the ring. We can’t wait to hear more about this project and highly anticipate its release.
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