Skywild Pictures grows development slate with three book option deals

Toronto-based production company Skywild Pictures has optioned three novels for television adaptation, expanding its scripted development slate with a mix of mystery, crime drama and grounded sci-fi projects.

Angela Jennings

The newly optioned titles are The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan, Our Little Secret by Edward Kay and Mikhael Klassen-Kay and The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson.

The adaptations will join a slate of more than a dozen TV and film projects currently in development at the company, which was launched in early 2025 by Angela Jennings and Travis Farncombe, who serve as president and CEO, respectively.

Jennings said the acquisitions align with the company’s strategy of building a development slate focused on premium scripted storytelling and underlying IP.

The Treasure Hunters Club is positioned as a coastal mystery drama centered on a legendary pirate treasure tied to a seaside town called Maple Bay. Our Little Secret is a crime drama following a group of high-school students plotting revenge against a predatory teacher, while The Affinities explores a near-future society shaped by cognitive-based social groupings created through advances in brain science.

Natalie Urquhart, Skywild’s director of scripted, said The Treasure Hunters Club stood out for its serialised mystery structure and built-in audience from Ryan’s existing readership.

Jennings said: “Since launching Skywild just over a year ago, we’ve been focused on building a slate that reflects who we are as a company – ambitious, collaborative and grounded in strong storytelling.

“These projects are a natural extension of that vision and speak to the kind of material we plan to bring to the screen.”