Elizabeth is Missing and Screws production house, STV Studios, has secured the television rights for Natali Simmonds’ debut thriller, Good Girls Die Last.
The deal was done with Emily Hayward Whitlock at The Artists Partnership working in association with Amanda Preston at LBA Literary Agency.
Good Girls Die Last, which will be published by Headline in June 2023, is billed as a “darkly comic, feminist thriller, telling the story of Em who, on the day of a record-breaking heatwave, is in a race against the clock to escape a gridlocked London while a serial killer stalks the streets. Em’s life has always been full of men having their own way and today, the scorched city is teeming with them. As Em’s troubled past returns to haunt her, she refuses to let them win. Her defiance leads to shocking consequences that soon spiral wildly out of control.“
Good Girls Die Last will be developed by STV Studios’ Head of Drama Development, Claire Armspach and Creative Director of Drama, Sarah Brown.
Author Natali Simmonds said: “The news is often full of frightening stories, yet rage is not an emotion that women are allowed to express safely. In the novel we see what happens when that control is finally lost. I wanted to show how vulnerable yet strong women can be, and how light we can make the darkest of situations. I’m so thrilled to have Good Girls Die Last developed by the immensely talented team at STV Studios. They really understand the story and I can’t wait to see my characters come to life against the backdrop of a London descending into chaos.”
Sarah Brown, Creative Director of Drama for STV Studios, added: “We inhaled Natali’s inventive, compulsive novel that was brimming with searing tension, incredible plot twists and brilliant insight. It’s a story that perfectly captures the ‘so-used-to-it-you-just accept-it’ sexism that women often face on a daily basis. We are thrilled to be bringing this fearless book to the screen.”
Amanda Preston, LBA Literary Agency, said “I am so excited that this timely, empowering and unputdownable book has been optioned by the brilliant STV Studios. I gulped it down in one sitting and cannot wait to binge-watch it on screen.”
Jon Creamer
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