Paramount+ UK & Ireland Orders Little Disasters Adaptation

Paramount+ UK & Ireland has ordered a series adaptation of Sarah Vaughan’s psychological thriller Little Disasters from Roughcut Television (COMA, Big Boys).

Starring Diane Kruger (Troy, Inglourious Basterds) and Jo Joyner (The Wives, For Her Sins) in the lead roles, the drama follows the longtime friendship between expectant mothers who were thrown together with little in common apart from their due dates. When Jess takes her baby to the hospital with a head injury she can’t explain, her close friend and on-duty doctor Liz must make the decision to call social services.

This decision sets in motion a chain of events that show how one moment can fracture and destroy entire families and friendships. The consequences of both of their actions come to light. The women begin to share long-held judgments against each other as their families unravel. The truth is slowly unmasked as deep-rooted issues and insecurities come to light.

Shelley Conn (Gen V, Alex Rider) and Emily Taaffe (The Rising, The Beast Must Die) are set to star alongside Kruger and Joyner. The cast also includes JJ Feild (Turn, Austenland, The Peripheral), Ben Bailey Smith (Star Wars: Andor, The Split, Brief Encounters) and Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys, Masters of the Air, Criminal Record).

Little Disasters is being produced by Roughcut Television in association with Fremantle, which will be distributing the series internationally.

Ruth Fowler and Amanda Duke are adapting the series for the screen, with Roughcut Television executive producers Ash Atalla, Alex Smith and Marianna Abbotts on board alongside Vaughan. Simon Judd is executive producing for Fremantle. Eva Sigurdardottir is set to direct, and Myf Hopkins is producing.

“I think this series will offer a relatable story which examines the crippling judgement levied upon mothers by society,” Kruger said. “The story so wonderfully explores the fragility of reputation, with the rapid unravelling of Jess’s seemingly perfect life. I can’t wait to begin developing Jess’s character and explore the challenges of motherhood through her eyes.”

“We meet Liz at a moment when she has to make an impossible choice between her duty as a doctor and loyalty to her friend,” Joyner added. “I’m really looking forward to working alongside this great cast and to start exploring the impact of Liz’s decision.”

Paramount+ UK & Ireland’s Paul Testar commented, “We are big fans of Sarah Vaughan’s novel and thrilled to be working on this adaptation with Roughcut Television. Diane, Jo, Shelley and Emily embody our four mothers seamlessly, and we can’t wait to see what each of them bring to the series.”

“We are so excited to bring Sarah Vaughan’s gripping and thought-provoking novel Little Disasters to the screen,” said Roughcut Television’s Marianna Abbotts. “Ruth Fowler and Amanda Duke’s brilliant scripts stay true to the themes in the book and shine a light on the dark reaches and intense love of motherhood. We are thrilled that such incredible acting talent, Diane Kruger and Jo Joyner, will be bringing Jess and Liz to life.”

Rebecca Dundon, senior VP of scripted acquisitions at Fremantle, added, “Little Disasters has all the elements of an addictive drama–expertly weaving universal themes of motherhood, friendship, privilege, duty and societal pressures into a provocative nail-biting thriller which we know will engage audiences around the world.”