More than three decades after Paul Jennings wrote Round the Twist as a tie-in to the children’s comedy-drama, a selection of the author’s works will be the foundation of a separate television series titled Twisted.
Fremantle Australia has optioned Quirky Tales, Unbelievable, Tongue Tied, Unbearable, and Unreal for the 10 x 60-minute program, which follows the characters in the small town of Twisted Creek as they try to recover from a life-changing event.
Catherine Smyth-McMullen, Monica Zanetti, and Gemma Crofts are part of the creative team that is developing the project.
Jennings published Unreal as his debut novel in 1985 and has since written over 100 stories and generated over 10 million book sales worldwide.
Despite sharing the same author and a similar title, Twisted is not related to Round the Twist, which ran for more than 50 episodes across four seasons and has since gone on to inspire a musical.
Fremantle Australia head of drama Carly Heaton said Twisted was “not a kid’s show”.
“It will be for everyone,” she said.
“We feel audiences are craving something we can watch across multiple generations, and this series will be it.
“We all have a favourite Jennings story, one that has stayed with us for years and, alongside Penguin Random House Australia, we are so excited to bring his incredible storytelling to life again on screen. We cannot overstate the reach and appeal of his work – Paul Jennings is an absolute cultural force and it’s an honour to work with him.”
Jennings said he “couldn’t be happier” that more of his stories would find their way to screen.
“To my great delight, Fremantle is developing some of my best work into a compelling narrative filled with diverse characters and weird plots,” he said.
“Each of my short story collections include a small number of tales with stronger and more challenging themes and they often include slightly darker or subversive content. Some say they are kid’s yarns that adults also enjoy. Others think of them as adult narratives that appeal to children. I just write what comes. Fremantle are doing something wonderful – making Australian stories for the world.”