Christi Daugherty’s YA thriller series optioned for TV

Christi Daugherty’s YA thriller series Night School (Little, Brown) has been optioned by Australian filmmaker Sarah Spillane.

The series, published in the UK by Little Brown since 2012, has been translated into 23 languages, reaching number on the German Spiegel bestseller list, number one in Poland, and the top 10 in France and Israel. The novels were also made into a popular web series which has over a million views on YouTube.

Sarah Spillane, a director from Australia, optioned the film and TV rights in a deal arranged by Hayley Steed at the Madeleine Milburn Agency and Larry Becsey of the Intellectual Property Group.

Spillane’s debut feature film, “Around the Block”, starring Christina Ricci, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was widely acclaimed, winning multiple awards, including an Australian Directors Guild award, and an Outstanding Achievement in Direction award in 2014. She currently has two feature films in development with Netflix, both of which she is writing and directing; the first slated for production in 2020.

In addition to Night School, Christi has also written The Echo Killing crime series, which is published by St Martin’s Press in the US and HarperCollins in the UK. The second book in the series, A Beautiful Corpse, was released in March 2019, with the third, Revolver Road, due out next year. 

Daugherty said of the option: “I’m thrilled that Sarah has chosen Night School. I believe she’s the perfect person to bring the books to the screen. Having seen her work I know we’re both equally obsessed with character and action. The plan she’s made for the TV series is truly exciting and fresh, and I look forward to seeing her put her own spin on it. I know Night School fans are longing to see Allie, Carter, Sylvain, and Rachel come to life on the screen.”