Sky discovers Witches adaptation

European pay TV operator Sky has ordered an adaption of Deborah Harkness’s bestselling novel A Discovery of Witches from Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner’s production firm Bad Wolf.

Jane Tranter

The show, starring Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey) and Teresa Palmer (Hacksaw Ridge), will begin shooting in September at the new Wolf Studios in Wales and is described as “a contemporary love story set against the backdrop of Oxford academic life.”

It has been adapted for the screen by showrunner Kate Brooke (Mr Selfridge), while Harkness and Tranter will executive produce and Juan Carlos Medina (Painless) direct.

A Discovery of Witches focuses on the unearthing of an ancient manuscript that threatens to unravel a fragile peace that has existed between witches, vampires and daemons, who live in plain sight amongst humans.

A Discovery of Witches was commissioned for Sky1 by head of drama Anne Mensah and director of Sky1 Adam MacDonald. Mensah said the show “is a proper love story for grown-ups,” adding that it “packs both an emotional and thought-provoking punch.”

International distribution rights will be handled by Sky Vision, Sky’s international production and distribution arm.

Bad Wolf, which is behind BBC1’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s book series His Dark Materials, is backed by Danny Cohen’s Access Entertainment.