IP Finds: A Queen Family Drama 👑, a Real-Life Revenge Saga, Biohackers
➕ A suburban murder mystery à la 'Big Little Lies'
One thing I loved about being a professor was the feeling of renewal that came with the start of each new semester (I used to teach at Wesleyan and Hamilton). To quote the hackneyed but great baseball-ism, “hope springs anew." Twice a year, a new semester, new students, maybe a new class. No matter what happened (good or bad) in the previous semester, the scoreboard was reset to 0-0. I’d like to think, development can also be viewed the same way — maybe it’s been slow, your show wasn’t picked up, you haven’t found the thing you like. So, let’s agree: fresh start time starts now.
Look at all happening currently: Film festivals, the start of the NFL last night, the start of the network TV season ("What's network TV?" ask the kids). Fall is also the big season for books, and even though we've been scouting the fall releases for months now, I feel more energy in the air. We'll be rolling out some new things in The Optionist over the next month and doubling down on bringing you the best selection of IP from across media. I'm pumped — and you should be too.
But let’s start with the news right now: Queen Elizabeth II's death at 96 and the accession to the throne of Charles III. I’ve been shocked even more hasn’t been done on TV around this family as the stories and takes are endless: pageantry, rivalries, alliances, romance, high stakes. Fictionalized dramas about the British Royal Family long have been popular, whether it is historical like Starz's Becoming Elizabeth, or the anthologized The Crown, to pick just two current shows. That’s why I've been surprised that no one has yet optioned today's first pick, a compulsively readable and sharply observed account of the reigning generation of the Royal Family ....
Also this week:
A thriller about the lengths parents will go to protect their kids from the law after they get involved in the murder of a teen girl
A feel-good story about an Italian-American family trying to find love for its widowed patriarch
A true student-teacher sex scandal at an elite public high school
The crazy world of ultra-wealthy biohacking