Popular YA novel writer Tom Ryan’s first adult murder mystery, The Treasure Hunters Club, has been optioned by indie producer Skywild Pictures for a TV adaptation.
The Simon and Schuster book title features three strangers converging on the remote seaside town of Maple Bay to uncover lost pirate treasure, only for fresh bodies to pile up as they collide with one another and a local mysterious legend.
“The Treasure Hunters Club stood out immediately for the originality of its premise and rich mystery engine. It’s a smart, character-driven story with real momentum and comes with the built-in fan base of best-selling author Tom Ryan. This is a story that feels inherently episodic, and we see a clear path to bringing that to screen with the right creative team,” Natalie Urquhart, director of scripted at Skywild Pictures, said in a statement.
The Toronto-based production banner has also optioned two other novels for its TV series development slate: the thriller Our Little Secret by Edward Kay and Mikhael Klassen-Kay, and The Affinities by Hugo Award–winning author Robert Charles Wilson. The dealmaking comes as Skywild looks to join Canada’s page-to-screen pipeline into Hollywood after the breakout success of Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry book series being turned into a breakout gay hockey drama for HBO Max and Crave.
“Since launching Skywild just over a year ago, we’ve been focused on building a slate that reflects who we are as a company — ambitious, collaborative, and grounded in strong storytelling. These projects are a natural extension of that vision and speak to the kind of material we plan to bring to the screen,” Angela Jennings, president of Skywild and a company co-founder with Travis Farncombe, said in her own statement.
The Our Little Secret crime novel sees a trio of high school seniors plot a perfect revenge murder against their sexually predatory English teacher, while The Affinities sci-fi novel is set a near future world where people are separated into 22 unique social media groups.
Tom Ryan is represented by Echo Lake Entertainment and the Transatlantic Literary Agency. Edward Kay and Mikhael Klassen-Kay are represented by Meridian Artists and the Transatlantic Agency. Robert Charles Wilson is represented by Steve Fisher, Independent Artists Group and The McCarthy Agency.
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