Pegg and Frost option Aaronovitch's Rivers of London for TV

Ben Aaronovitch’s bestselling Rivers of London series has been optioned for television by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s production company Stolen Picture.

Aaronovitch is currently adapting the first novel, Rivers of London (Gollancz) into the show’s first season. He will also serve as executive producer alongside Frost, Pegg and Stolen Picture c.e.o. Miles Ketley.

The series follows DC Peter Grant, a young mixed race police officer who, following an encounter with a ghost, finds himself working for The Folly, a secret Scotland Yard department that deals with supernatural crime. A new novel, False Value, is scheduled for the autumn and, earlier this month, Orion revealed it has signed a seven-figure deal for the next four books.

Frost told Deadline: “I was chuffed to bits that I could get the rights to make it into a TV show. Everyone wants to potentially find the next 'Game of Thrones' and the chance to turn Rivers of London into an eight-hour movie and hopefully find someone who will financially back that is a real draw.”

Aaronovitch said: “Nick Frost and Simon Pegg asked me if I wanted to make Rivers of London with them — you think I was going to say no? Stolen Picture have a reputation for making creator led TV with the minimum of corporate bollocks and the maximum of fun. It’s an opportunity I would be bonkers to say no to.”

“Ben’s Rivers of London universe is the perfect project for Stolen and the perfect show for now," said Ketyley. "It’s a suspenseful, funny, scary and magical world but is rooted in the everyday with devious plots, fully drawn characters, river gods and riots. The franchise is going to be a wonderful confluence of Simon’s and Nick’s ambition and humour and Ben’s masterful story-telling to create a truly magical global show.”