New Tang Dynasty to adapt geopolitical thriller Of Course They Knew

The Canadian arm of international broadcaster New Tang Dynasty Television has gone into development on an adaptation of John Moody’s geopolitical conspiracy thriller book trilogy Of Course They Knew, Of Course They…

The project is being produced by Washington Square Entertainment, Fun Republic Pictures and Yonderland Productions in association with New Tang Dynasty and the Canada Media Fund.

Canadian screenwriter and producer David Cormican (Tokyo Trial, Northern Rescue) and actor-writer Dwayne Hill (Northern Rescue, Mean Girls) are penning the adaptation and serving as co-showrunners and executive producers.

The project, which is being developed for TV under the title Of Course They Knew…, is told through the intertwined lives of ordinary citizens across multiple continents and explores the silent collapse of Western society as it falls under the influence of a covert global campaign driven by disinformation, artificial intelligence and psychological warfare.

In addition to Cormican and Hill, exec producers include Sophia Sun (Claws of the Red Dragon, The Unrestricted War) for Yonderland Productions and Moody. Retired US army officer Wesley K Clark, who previously served as supreme allied commander europe at NATO, is consulting on the project’s military, intelligence and international political storylines.

The development and rights agreement was negotiated by Alan Morell of Creative Management Partners on behalf of the rights holders, along with Washington Square Entertainment, Yonderland Productions, Brick Tower Press and New Tang Dynasty.

New Tang Dynasty is a New York-headquartered network focused on news and cultural programming. The project is part of its goal to expand its scripted offerings, said the company.

Cormican and Hill said Moody’s trilogy “reads like tomorrow’s headlines, and we believe it has the scope and scale to become a truly global television event.”

Moody added that the story was “written as a warning, but it has become increasingly clear that the world is moving closer to the reality it imagines.”