Film and TV rights to Clift debut go to Scott Free after three-way auction

Ridley Scott's production company Scott Free has triumphed in a three-way auction to win the film and television rights for I Alone Survive (Hodder and Stoughton) by début author Bethany Clift.

Executive producer Marina Brackenbury acquired the rights from Cara Lee Simpson at Jonathan Clowes. UK and Commonwealth rights were pre-empted by Hodder & Stoughton in a major deal last October, and the book will be published as a lead title in spring 2021. Foreign rights have been sold in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and Spain so far.

I Alone Survive is the comedic story of a woman who is the only survivor of a global pandemic that has wiped out humanity. Having spent her life battling indecision and anxiety, she now has to find her ultimate independence in a world where she no longer has to live by anyone else’s rules. 

Brackenbury said: "I was instantly struck by the distinctive tone of Bethany’s writing and I’m determined the TV series lives up to the book in its ability to thoroughly entertain, whilst speaking honestly to a wide range of issues women face that rarely get discussed. It’s a perfect fit for us here at Scott Free; combining the ambition to bring refreshing, contemporary portraits to the screen, with the cinematic scale of pieces the company are known for making."