Higgins Clark novels adapted for screen

Crime novel writer Mary Higgins Clark

Canadian producer-distributor Reel One Entertainment has partnered with US prodco Element 8 Entertainment and Paris-based La Sabotière to develop a scripted anthology based on novels by Mary Higgins Clark.

Screenwriter and author Ilene Rosenzweig (Station 19) has boarded the project as writer and executive producer, with the first season based on crime writer Higgins Clark’s novel I’ll Be Seeing You.

With her books previously being adapted into TV movies in the US and France, this marks the first time Higgins Clark’s work will be made into a TV series.

Each season will be inspired by a different novel, focusing on a different crime, with more than 40 titles to choose from. The show will feature a diverse cast of female characters, set against the familiar backdrop of downtown Manhattan and the New Jersey suburbs.

I’ll Be Seeing You tells the story of Patricia ‘Trie’ Collins, an ambitious young TV journalist who returns to her home town and puts her reporting skills to the test when her father goes missing. As Trie’s investigation takes her down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and murder, she is unaware that she’s being watched by a stalker who will inadvertently help her uncover the story of her career – and her family’s dark secret.

Higgins Clark said: “Early in my career, I loved watching crime series. I enjoyed challenging myself to solve the mystery before it was revealed at the end. I’m delighted that my stories will be used to entertain a new generation of TV crime series fans. It will be fun to see how the TV writers will develop and expand my plots and characters.”

The series will be produced by Reel One, Element 8 and La Sabotière, with Reel One International distributing. The series will be shot in Toronto and New York in 2020.