Twilight creator set for Starz show

Liberty Global has linked up with US cablenet Starz on a supernatural thriller from Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer and The Night Manager’s exec producer Stephen Garrett.

Stephenie Meyer

The Rook is being produced by Starz sibling Lionsgate TV and follows a young woman with extraordinary abilities who is being pursued by shadowy paranormal adversaries.

Garrett is attached as a showrunning executive producer while Meyer will exec produce alongside Meghan Hibbett under their Fickle Fish banner.

The series is based on the eponymous novel by Daniel O’Malley and is being adapted and coproduced by playwrights and screenwriters Sam Holcroft (Rules for Living) and Al Muriel (Precious & Rich).

It will debut on Starz in the US and become available via Liberty Global’s on-demand services across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean from the start of next year. Lionsgate will distribute worldwide.

Chris Albrecht, Starz president and CEO, said the “high-end series” would be “instantly addictive from the very first scene and introduces what we believe will be one of the most fascinating and thrilling female protagonists on television.”

“The Rook is another important step in Liberty Global’s premium scripted content strategy,” said Liberty Global chief programming officer Bruce Mann. “Shot in the UK, this project is a perfect fit for Virgin Media as well as our other European markets.”

Kudos founder Garrett, who will be working under his Character 7 banner, added: “To be conspiring on The Rook in partnership with Stephenie based on a book that is as dazzling as it is surprising, and working with the talented team of Sam and Al, is the perfect springboard for thrilling television.”

Liberty has been expanding its TV and video operations recently, investing in Malaysia-based SVoD service iflix in March and more recently launching a production and distribution company with equity investor TPG Growth.

Starz and Lionsgate became part of the same business as a result of US$4.4bn merger last year.

In related news, Starz has also extended its Steven Soderbergh drama The Girlfriend Experience into a second season, after the 13-part first run was picked up by Amazon.

The show, which explores the world of escorts and their clients, is based on Soderbergh’s 2009 film of the same name and will be produced by US-based Transactional Pictures.

Anna Friel (Broken, Pushing Daisies) and Louisa Krause (Billions) star in the 14-part second season while Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz write, direct and executive produce.