Playground targets book adaptions

Wolf Hall producer Playground has secured the rights to two best-selling books published by Penguin Random House Books (PRHB) and John Murray.

Louise Pedersen

PRHB’s psychological thriller The Widow is written by Fiona Barton and follows the wife of a man who is accused and eventually cleared of kidnapping and murdering a child.

Non-fiction book Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories, meanwhile, is published by John Murray and was written by Thomas Grant. It details the life and work of the celebrated barrister who played a role in numerous controversial UK court cases involving figures such as the Great Train robber Charlie Wilson.

The deals follow Playground’s option of journalist Patrick Kingsley’s book The New Odyssey – The Story of Europe’s Refugee Crisis last month as the company looks to build its slate with “thought-provoking titles,” said Sophie Gardiner, creative director of Playground UK.

“Though one book is fiction and the other is non-fiction, both books feature striking central characters caught up in stories that speak to the key issues of our time and should appeal to a wide-ranging audience,” said Gardiner.

Louise Pedersen, MD of Playground UK, added: “We bought both of these books at manuscript stage and it is great to see them find such a wide readership. We are confident that both titles will make compelling television adaptations.”

Playground was founded in 2012 by former HBO films boss Colin Callender.

Former Channel 4 commissioning editor Gardiner joined the US-based firm as creative director when it launched its UK office in early 2015, following the appointment of former All3Media International MD Pedersen to head the UK operation