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Canada’s Thunderbird adapting NYT bestseller Mad Honey for television

Canadian studio Thunderbird has optioned the rights to New York Times bestselling novel Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, and is adapting it for the small screen.

Matthew Berkowitz

The book, described as a “visceral, heart-wrenching portrayal of young love, teen angst and parental grief and guilt, interwoven with murder and high-intensity courtroom drama,” was published in October last year.

Picoult and Boylan are executive producing the adaptation alongside Thunderbird CEO and chair Jennifer Twiner McCarron and president and chief creative officer Matthew Berkowitz, plus Tuatara Media’s Barbara Wall.

Picoult has written 28 titles throughout her career, with more than 40 million copies of her books being sold around the world. Many have been adapted for television and film, including My Sister’s Keeper, The Pact and Plain Truth.

Boylan, a journalist, author and activist, has written 18 books, including She’s Not There, which Thunderbird said was the first bestselling work by a transgender American.

For Thunderbird, the option deal comes after its recent appointment of former Netflix exec Hillary Zwick Turner to lead a newly launched development hub in LA.

The company’s recent scripted production credits include SyFy original series Reginald the Vampire, which is currently in production on its second season, plus Kim’s Convenience spin-off Strays and a movie adaptation of Wattpad story Boot Camp.

The Vancouver-headquartered outfit is also building a slate of dramas with Tuatara Media, whose principal Wall was formerly exec VP of television for Lionsgate.

“Mad Honey is exactly the kind of IP we’re looking for as we build out our premium scripted business, and we are thankful to the team working on this project for bringing it to fruition,” said Berkowitz.

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