Starz options rights to romantasy novel series by Lauren Palphreyman

US streamer and network Starz has gone into development on an adaptation of romantasy novel The Wolf King by author Lauren Palphreyman.

Tanya Saracho

Jackson Davis

Starz has also optioned the rights to two other books in the novel series, The Night Prince and The Wolf Queen, with the story based around a captive princess who gets kidnapped by a brooding werewolf and plunged into a bloody war.

Tanya Saracho, who created the Starz dramedy Vida, is showrunner and executive producer on The Wolf King adaptation, with Palphreyman also exec producing.

The in-development adaptation of The Wolf King follows a woman who uncovers her own wild strength as she is thrust into a war between humankind and her feral captors.

“This book has been my obsession since I first found it as an indie release over a year ago, and I’ve been lovingly championing it ever since,” said Saracho.

“While Lauren Palphreyman’s beautiful book series is an exciting departure from the genre I’m typically known for, getting to adapt it for the network that housed Vida for three seasons just feels destined to be.”

Starz’s president of original programming Kathryn Busby added: “With the rich world Lauren Palphreyman has created in The Wolf King and our longstanding relationship with Tanya – whose instinct for sexy, nuanced storytelling is unmatched – we’re excited to bring this saga to screen with all the heat and heart it deserves.”