Endemol Studios [Hell on Wheels (AMC), Kingdom (DirecTV)], Endemol North America’s independent scripted studio operation based in Los Angeles, is bringing on board, under a co-production deal with ABC Studios, to adapt the award-winning hit British psychological crime drama Wire in the Blood for ABC Television Network. A.M. Homes is attached to write. David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Laurie Zaks of Mandeville will executive produce with Sandra Jobling of Coastal Productions. The hit British series, originally created and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network, ran for six seasons (2002-2008) in the UK and across all major international territories, as well as BBC America in the U.S. Endemol Worldwide Distribution controls all international distributions rights to the U.S. adaptation.
Wire in the Blood is a psychological crime drama based on characters created by Scottish suspense novelist and crime writer Val McDermid. When detective Elizabeth Chase struggles to evade the succession of women in New York City who have turned up dead, she recruits the help of unconventional clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill, who has a talent for catching killers before they are able to strike again. Dr. Hill analyses both victim and killer, demonstrating empathy for both sides. This unique, character-driven procedural exposes the gaps between good and evil, our public and private selves and the psychological limits of human behaviour.
Homes is the author of the novels May We Be Forgiven, The End of Alice, In Country of Mothers, and Jack, as well as the short-story collection The Safety of Objects and the artist’s book Appendix A. Her fiction has been translated into eighteen languages, and she is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Homes recently won the prestigious Orange Prize for her work May We Be Forgiven. Her fiction and nonfiction appear in magazines such as The New Yorker and Artforum, among others, and she is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, Mirabella, Bomb, Blind Spot, and Story. Homes was a Producer on The L Word in 2005 and wrote the adaptation of her first novel Jack, for Showtime. She teaches in the writing programmes at Columbia University, Princeton University and The New School and lives in New York City.
Philippe Maigret, CEO, Endemol Studios, commented, “Partnering with a high-caliber writer like A.M. and bringing together Mandeville, ABC and the Coastal teams is an opportunity to give a distinct voice to a proven procedural drama. We look forward to introducing a new audience to these incredible characters through great storytelling that will shock you, make you laugh and keep you coming back for more.”
Jeremy Gold, Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, said, “American audiences are going to love Dr. Tony Hill, our protagonist, in Wire in the Blood; a true iconoclast unlike any character on television today. He provides a very unique prism into the criminal mind and propels us through this fantastic procedural series.”
Hoberman, Lieberman and Zaks added, “Bringing the iconic character Tony Hill to American audiences has been a passion of ours for a number of years. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Endemol Studios team on this exciting endeavour.”
Jobling commented, “Wire in the Blood and the character of Tony Hill have been part of my life for such a long time, so I am immensely proud to be embarking on a new adventure with him in the USA. I feel honoured to be working alongside A.M. Holmes, Endemol Studios, the Mandeville team and ABC. Val McDermid created a unique and quirky character that will fit well with a U.S. audience.”
Wire in the Blood is the latest in a diverse slate of sold scripted projects for Endemol Studios. The company has sold 17 scripted projects across multiple networks and streaming platforms including Amazon, Cinemax, NBC, Showtime, SyFy, USA, WGN and others. Since its launch in 2011, they have aggressively built a scripted business that includes a production and development slate of original series (Hell on Wheels, now in its fourth season on AMC and Kingdom on DirecTV, which was recently picked up for an additional 20 episodes) and scripted formats including the U.S. productions of Low Winter Sun (AMC) and Red Widow (ABC).
