“The Killing Kind,” the latest novel from best-selling author Jane Casey, has been optioned by Sony Pictures Television-backed Eleventh Hour Films.
The thriller, which is published Thursday by HarperCollins, will be adapted into a limited series by screenwriters Zara Hayes (“Showtrial”) and Jonathan Stewart (“Meet You in Hell”). Hayes will also direct while Casey has signed on as executive producer alongside Eleventh Hour Films’ Jill Green, Eve Gutierrez and Paula Cuddy.
“The Killing Kind” is Casey’s 11th crime novel for adults, and centres around Ingrid Lewis, a London-based criminal barrister whose life is ostensibly destroyed by John Webster, a client she defended against a stalking charge. When one of her colleagues is mown down in an apparent hit and run, Lewis suspects she was the intended victim until Webster turns up at her door claiming only he can protect her from the real killer.
“I am thrilled to be working with such an incredible team to bring ‘The Killing Kind’ to TV,” said Casey. “Zara and Jonathan’s creative response to the book is enormously exciting and I look forward to working with them, Paula Cuddy and the team at Eleventh Hour Films to tell Ingrid’s story in a new way.”
Hayes said: “I’m always looking to tell stories with compelling and complex female characters front and centre. When I read ‘The Killing Kind’ it felt like the perfect fit. Jane’s book is a gripping, twisty thriller, all told through the eyes of Ingrid — a richly layered, intelligent woman who is working out what success means on her own terms.”
Stewart added: “Jane’s book is both a joyride of a mystery for viewers and a powerful character-driven investigation of the thin line between those you can trust the most and those so close they can dangerously deceive you. Collaborating with Eleventh Hour, Paula, Jane and Zara is a true honor.”
“’The Killing Kind’ is an exceptional thriller from the brilliant Jane Casey, which delivers the twists, turns and emotion to grip a global TV audience,” said Cuddy. “Ingrid is a compelling protagonist, whose story is most timely as she navigates professional and personal ethics, her journey making us question ‘justice’ in every sense.”
Eleventh Hour Films’ credits include the Alex Rider spy series and “Foyles War.” The production company is currently working on an adaptation of “Magpie Murders” for PBS Masterpiece and BritBox U.K. and an adaptation of podcast series “Hunting Ghislaine.”
No casting or premiere date for “The Killing Kind” has yet been announced.