Marc Fennell’s 2020 podcast Nut Jobs will be developed as a one-hour drama series after being acquired by MGM Television.
The Rose d’Or Award-nominated Australian Audible Original explores a rabbit-hole of crime syndicates, stolen identities, and private investigators relating to a series of nut thefts in central California in the mid-2010s totalling more than $10 million. While 80 per cent of the world’s almonds are grown in the heart of the US state, Fennell’s investigation spans Italy, the Spanish coast, deep under the earth, and into space.
Escape Artists is attached to produce the screen adaptation, with Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Jordan Edelstein to executive produce with Fennell and Sony Music Podcasts, as well as Aaron Korsh and Rick Muirragui, who are also on board to create the series.
Nut Jobs is one of several titles to head into development from Audible and Amazon MGM Studios alongside supernatural thriller The Prophecy from Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street Productions, Broadway Video’s LGBTQ+ comedy Hot White Heist, sci-fi YA adventure adaptation Daniel X: Genesis, and Audible’s music storytelling franchise Words + Music.
Audible chief content officer Rachel Ghiazza said all of the titles in the slate featured “compelling and inspired narratives” and “well thought-out, complex characters”.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with our colleagues at Amazon MGM Studios, who share our commitment to accelerating the craft of storytelling, on this new and incredibly exciting endeavor,” she said.
“We believe that this is a pivotal and transformative moment for Audible and look forward to this next chapter with great anticipation.”
“In this digital age, irresistible storytelling is emerging through a variety of mediums, and we are lucky to have engaging Originals debuting through our colleagues at Audible,” says Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios.
“These original podcasts have already engaged and entertained audiences and we look forward to developing a visual component to expand the storytelling.”