Australian screenwriter Craig Pearce is set to develop bestselling novel The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc into a television drama series.
Pearce is best-known as for his work with Baz Luhrmann, having penned Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and the upcoming The Great Gatsby. The as yet unnamed TV series will mark his first foray into television screenwriting and is also the first series to be produced through FremantleMedia Enterprises' (FME) first look deal with New Zealand’s Pukeko Pictures.
In a statement, FME senior vice-president acquisitions and development, global content, Jeff Tahler, and FremantleMedia North America senior vice-president scripted programming, Tony Optican, said: “The opportunity to work with one of the most talented screenwriters in Hollywood was something we could not pass up as we seek to drive FremantleMedia’s creation of high-end scripted dramas into new and exciting territory. Craig Pearce is sure to captivate our imaginations as he tells the intriguing stories surrounding one of history’s most controversial heroines.”
The Maid was written by Kimberley Cutter and presents a new take on the story of a peasant girl who believes she is sent by God to save France. The series will chronicle the Hundred Years War from Joan’s perspective as well as the international noble houses that battled for control of the French throne.
FremantleMedia is also developing a TV drama series with Marshall Herskovitz, which has been inspired by Andrew Nagorski’s non-fiction book Hitlerland.