Dominion options Williams’ supernatural YA, The Wanderer

Dominion of Drama, the IP and production company founded by writer-producer Jeff Norton, has optioned the media rights to Josie Williams’ YA supernatural romance novel, The Wanderer. 

The deal was brokered on behalf of Williams by Meg Davis at the Ki Agency acting on behalf of Lorella Belli at the Lorella Belli Literary Agency. Dominion is represented by Huw Walters and Rosemary Klein at Industry Media. 

Written by Norfolk-based Kirsty Moseley under the pen name Josie Williams and published in the UK and Commonwealth by Wales-based Firefly Press, The Wanderer tells the story of Ryder, a ghost of a teenage boy who never crossed over into the afterlife and is deeply in love with Maggie, a 15-year-old girl who is in foster care  after her mother dies. When Ryder saves Maggie’s life by possessing the body of another teenager, it brings the two closer together, but the harsh realities of life and death conspire to keep them apart. Dominion will immediately begin developing the book for television. 

Williams said: “I am absolutely thrilled that Dominion has optioned media rights for The Wanderer. Maggie and Ryder’s tragic, forbidden love story took me on such an emotional journey whilst writing it and I’m so happy that their love story is one step closer to coming alive on screen.”

The deal marks a continuation of Norton’s track record in adapting literary properties for the screen, which includes Susan Hill’s ghost story The Small Hand for Paramount Global’s Channel 5, in co-production with Two Rivers Media. He said: “The Wanderer is an incredibly moving love story that will rip your heart to shreds whilst at the same time giving you something to believe in. I was left utterly bereft after reading it and I know audiences will fall in love with Ryder and Maggie. Dominion is an author-founded and focused company and we want to be the home for the world’s most creative storytellers. I’m honoured to have the opportunity to adapt Josie Williams’ incredible novel to the screen.”