Plans for a cinematic version of Annie Barros and Mary Ann Shaffer's book The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society first surfaced back in 2011, with Kenneth Branagh attached to direct. It has been through a couple of versions since then, but now has Mike Newell in the director's chair and Lily James as its star.
Adapted by The Opposite Of Sex writer/director Don Roos from the 2009 tome with a more recent draft by Tom Bezucha, the film will see James play writer Juliet Ashton, who wrote magazine columns during World War II. In the aftermath of the conflict, she’s contacted by Channel Islander Dawsey Adams, who tells her the intriguing tale of the book society formed to help undercut the Nazi presence on Guernsey. Ashton decides to investigate, and romance blossoms…
“The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society has been a project of tremendous passion for us, and we are thrilled to be bringing it to screen with filmmaker Mike Newell attached and Lily James, our consummate Juliet," says producer Paula Mazur. She'll work on the film with partner Mitchell Kaplan plus Blueprint Pictures' Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin.
With StudioCanal financing and distributing here and in a few other countries, the cameras should be rolling next spring. James will next be seen in Edgar Wright's Baby Driver (out 17 March) and is preparing to work on Winston Churchill pic Darkest Hour.