Playground Developing The Wicked Girls Adaptation

Playground (All Creatures Great & Small, The Undeclared War) has optioned Alex Marwood’s international bestseller The Wicked Girls for development as a limited series.

The psychological thriller tells the story of struggling journalist Kirsty Lindsay, who is reporting on a series of attacks on young female tourists in a seaside vacation town. Richard Shepard (Girls, Dom Hemingway, The Perfection) is attached to write, direct and executive produce.

Colin Callender, Scott Huff and David Stern will oversee development and executive produce for Playground.

Shepard said, “I’ve been obsessed with this book for years, and I was super excited that the folks at Playground shared my passion. It’s a unique and emotional character-driven thriller, and I can’t wait to dive in with Colin, Scott and David and bring it to life.”

“Alex Marwood wrote a novel filled with complex female characters and page-turning thrills. We were hooked from page one by the story of Kirsty and Amber and how their past secrets unravel to form a fascinating relationship that upends both their lives,” said Callender, Huff and Stern. “We are huge fans of Richard’s work and have been looking for something to do together. When he brought us Alex Marwood’s compelling thriller, we jumped at the chance to work with him. We can think of no better material than The Wicked Girls to show off his talents as a writer and director.”