Synchronicity Options Graeme Armstrong’s The Young Team

Synchronicity Films (The Cry, Only You) has optioned the rights to Graeme Armstrong’s debut novel, The Young Team.

BAFTA Award winner Adrian McDowall (The Last Czars) will direct the adaptation, with British writer Ben Tagoe on board as screenwriter. Armstrong will act as a consultant on the project.

The TV adaptation will follow 15-year-old Azzy during three crucial years of his life, viewing the world through his eyes as he navigates Scottish masculinity, gang violence, substance abuse, mental health, male suicide and murder.

Claire Mundell, founder and creative director at Synchronicity Films, said: “Graeme’s novel vividly and honestly depicts the realities of life for a disenfranchised and much demonized section of working-class youth, young people on the margins of society who are too often under-served and misrepresented on screen. Scottish literature couldn’t be hotter right now and Graeme’s debut novel is another brilliant addition to the landscape, heralding an important new voice. We are thrilled to be working with Graeme, Ben and Adrian to collaborate on an authentic scripted adaptation of this seminal novel.”

Armstrong added: “I am absolutely buzzing to be working with Claire Mundell at Synchronicity and the team to develop The Young Team for the screen. Their understanding of the landscape, both geographical and cultural, has made for an exciting coming together of multiple talents. Screenwriter, Ben Tagoe, has a first-hand understanding of the transition of U.K. youth culture from ’80s terrace casuals and rave pioneers, into the new and darker world of ’00s Scottish young team gang culture. His experiences and voice are akin to my own. Already, there is a deep respect for this story, shared responsibility around working-class representation and the handling of important themes of gang violence, poverty, addiction and mental health. I cannot wait to see Synchronicity bring it to life. The Young Team is in very safe hands.”

Tagoe added: “The Young Team grabbed my attention from the very first paragraph and held it until the last. Graeme’s ear for dialogue is truly exceptional and the book’s characters all felt absolutely truthful and recognizable to me. It has been such an exciting challenge to work on a TV project that has the potential to reach audiences who never see themselves or their world portrayed with any authenticity.”

McDowall said: “Graeme Armstrong’s The Young Team is the most exciting debut novel that I have ever read. He has created a raw, unflinching dissection of modern masculinity, brimming with honesty and humanity, painting vivid pictures of a rare slice of Scottish life that seamlessly translates into everything I love about the televisual and cinematic experience. This is a novel that demands to be adapted for the screen.”