Update: HBO has leapt at the opportunity to make the show, and has locked down a deal for an eight-episode firs season with a straight-to-series order. So no pilot production for this lot!
The adaptations of author Gillian Flynn's work have so far ranged from the hugely successful (Gone Girl) to the less noteworthy (Dark Places, despite the presence of Charlize Theron in the lead). Another of her books, Sharp Objects, has been in development as a TV series for a while now, and has landed Amy Adamsto star.
It's a high profile score for a series, though not that surprising given the number of film folk populating the small screen. And it has a solid pedigree beyond Flynn's book. Marti Noxon, who has Buffy, Glee, Prison Break and her own Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce among her credits, has been aboard to run the show since it was announced last year, and Dallas Buyers Club's Jean-Marc Vallée is attached to direct at least one episode.
Flynn's book, which was published in 2009, follows reporter Camille Preaker, who has just spent time in a psychiatric hospital. Her first assignment upon her return to work is not exactly a soft one to ease her back into a routine – she’s dispatched to her tiny hometown to dig into the murders of two pre-teen girls.
Working out of her old bedroom, and confronting her issues with her mother and half-sister, Camille will have to unravel her own dark secrets to have a chance at cracking the case, and surviving it...
With low-budget production maestro Jason Blum serving as executive producer, the series has distributor Entertainment One shopping it around network, cable and streaming outlets. Given the team involved, we'd imagine it'll find a home quickly.