Castlefield, part of Fremantle, have picked up the rights to writer Cara Hunter’s explosive DI Fawley crime novels for a television adaptation.
Hunter’s four-book franchise is the biggest crime-writing brand to have launched in the UK in the last five years, selling over one million copies to date in the UK and across 25 territories worldwide. Her debut novel Close to Home was an international bestseller, topping The Sunday Times and Amazon bestseller lists and was publisher Penguin Random House’s biggest selling eBook of 2018.
At the heart of each DI Fawley thriller is a domestic tragedy or crime that demands answers from the family and friends of the victim. With echoes of real life crime stories, Hunter toys with our expectations and turns them on their head with her fiendishly plotted, twisty storylines, coupled with the engaging drama of the professional and personal lives of Fawley’s team; all set in an Oxford that has never been seen before on screen.
Cara Hunter says: “I’ve always ‘seen’ the Fawley books play out in my head as I write them, and the style I developed for them was a deliberate attempt to replicate the feel and pace of the best TV crime – the short scenes, the fast pace, and the changing points of view. Hilary and Simon completely ‘get’ what the books are all about and have a wonderful feel for the characters. I can’t think of a better producer for the series than Castlefield.”
Castlefield was launched in June 2019 by Managing Director Hilary Martin and Creative Director Simon Judd. The independent drama label, based in Manchester, focuses on edgy and emotionally compelling contemporary drama series, that have global appeal.
Hilary and Simon joined Fremantle in 2017 and in their previous roles at BBC Drama North, Hilary and Simon developed and produced shows including BAFTA-winning In the Flesh, James Herbert’s The Secret of Crickley Hall and BBC One crime series In the Dark.
Hilary Martin and Simon Judd, add: “We are so thrilled to be joining forces with the brilliantly talented Cara Hunter to bring her hit novels to screen. Cara collides noisy, epic crime stories with vivid, visceral characters that you just can’t look away from. Her razor-sharp depiction of contemporary life is a gift and we can’t wait to get cracking.”
The crime franchise, which is not yet attached to a broadcaster, is envisioned as a returnable multi-episodic series.
