IP Picks 🔎: Fake Deaths and Family Feuds
➕a Muslim cop fights for his reputation against suspicions he's a terrorist
Welcome to the Optionist. A big hello to the many new readers that came abroad after reading my dissection of Prince Harry’s book deal and what it might take for Penguin Random House to turn on a profit on his reported $20 million advance (though I’m hearing from at least one source that contradictory to most speculation, the number is much higher). The story was picked up from Drudge Report to the Daily Mail.
If you’re new to the newsletter, Fridays are for my subscribers-only curated list of promising material available for option. I go through books, podcasts, journalism and other mediums to identify the best available IP out there right now that has the potential to be developed for the screen (or perhaps a podcast). You can learn more about it and see a sample here. Upgrade your subscription here.
This week’s picks include the fantastic true story of a decorated Muslim officer who helped hunt terrorists but lost his badge when he started to question how Muslim suspects were treated after 9/11. It’s a backlist pick — material where the option has lapsed and the rights are available again — something The Optionist presents regularly. We’ve also got:
A true story about a romance novelist who faked her own suicide and just announced (to shock and anger from her fans), “I’m back!”
A doctor facing charges of medical insurance fraud who may have staged his own death in a boating accident a week before his trial date.
A Southern Noir thriller about an Army vet who finds himself battling a gang of meth-dealing white supremacists.
The true story of how one of the first satellites led to the capture of a notorious bank robber.
A thriller about a nurse who suspects her infirm charge may be responsible for the murder of her parents and sister 50 years earlier