Paramount+ has ordered six-part drama series Insomnia from Left Bank Pictures. It will begin filming in the UK later this year.
The show is based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author Sarah Pinborough. Pinsborough is also the author of the novel Behind Her Eyes, previously adapted by Left Bank for Netflix.
Insomnia follows successful career woman Emma Averill, who fears she might be losing her mind, when her hard-won dream life starts to turn into a nightmare. A couple of weeks before her fortieth birthday Emma stops sleeping — just as her mother had done at the same age and right before she suffered a violent psychotic break on the night of her own fortieth birthday. Emma’s mother always told her she’d go the same way, that she had the same “bad blood,” and now Emma’s terrified it’s true.
But even as Emma’s sleep deprivation starts making her question her own reality, she can’t help but feel like there’s something else amiss — her mother is in the hospital after a sudden injury, her estranged sister shows up in town without a word of warning and she constantly feels as if she is being watched. Is exhaustion just making her paranoid, or is someone maliciously trying to destroy her? As events worsen, Emma’s world starts to unravel and she realises that only by investigating the truth of her painful past, can she find the answers to her present and prevent tragedy from striking a second time.
The series was commissioned by Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer, UK, Paramount. The Executive Producers for the series are Andy Harries, Jessica Burdett and Tim Bricknell, and Charlotte Essex serves as Producer. Sarah Pinborough is writer, adapting her work for screen.
Sony Pictures Television will distribute Insomnia internationally.
On the new series order, Sebastian Cardwell said: “Insomnia is a great addition to our growing UK scripted slate and is another example of the quality local content Paramount+ is commissioning from award-winning storytellers. We very much look forward to working with Left Bank Pictures on the series and seeing this heart-pounding thriller come to life.”
Jessica Burdett said: “Paramount+ is the perfect home for Sarah Pinborough’s brilliantly bold and unsettling story.”
Insomnia, part of the streaming service’s strategy to commission 150 international originals by 2025, joins the list of UK originations, which includes A Gentleman In Moscow, The Ex-Wife, The Flatshare, Sexy Beast, The Killing Kind, The Doll Factory, No Escape and The Burning Girls.
Jon Creamer
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