Reel One, Element 8 and La Sabotière to Develop Mary Higgins Clark’s Crime Novels

Montreal-based producer and distributor Reel One Entertainment has partnered with U.S. producer Element 8 Entertainment and Paris-based La Sabotière to develop an anthology series based on the novels of American crime writer Mary Higgins Clark.

U.S. screenwriter and author Ilene Rosenzweig, whose credits include “Station 19” and “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce,” is attached as writer and executive producer.

The first season will be based on Higgins Clark’s novel “I’ll Be Seeing You,” which tells the story of an ambitious young TV journalist who puts her reporting skills to the test when her father goes missing. Higgins Clark’s books are set against the backdrop of downtown Manhattan and the suburbs of New Jersey, and have sold more than 100 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Several of her female-driven thrillers have been adapted as TV movies in the U.S. and France, but this deal marks the first time that a multi-episodic TV series has been developed based on the Mary Higgins Clark franchise.

Each season of the anthology series will be inspired by a different Higgins Clark novel and a different crime. Higgins Clark, 91, has written more than 40 novels and continues to write. “Early in my career I loved watching crime series,” she said. “I enjoyed challenging myself to solve the mystery before it was revealed at the end. I’m delighted that my stories will be used to entertain a new generation of TV crime series fans.”

Rosenzweig commented: “I was into these books growing up because Mary writes characters you want to be: cool women with glamorous jobs and aspirational/cosmopolitan lives who are suddenly thrust into incredibly dangerous situations – and yet remain relatable.”

The series will be produced by Reel One, Element 8 and La Sabotière, with Reel One International handling distribution. The series will shoot in Toronto and New York in 2020.

TV movie producer Reel One recently branched out into scripted TV series. In July 2019, the company was acquired by French production and distribution group Newen.

Los Angeles-based Element 8 recently finished production on crime drama “Miss Scarlet and the Duke” in Ireland for A+E Networks International.

La Sabotière has adapted of Higgins Clark’s novels for French television since 2010.

Via Varietyhttps://variety.com/2019/tv/news/reel-one-element-8-and-la-sabotiere-to-develop-mary-higgins-clarks-crime-novels-1203369500/