Picador novel The Followers optioned for film

Big Talk Productions has optioned film rights in Rebecca Wait’s acclaimed second novel The Followers (Picador).

The deal with Rachael Prior, head of film at Big Talk, was brokered by Emily Hayward-Whitlock of The Artists Partnership on behalf of Caroline Hardman at Hardman & Swainson.

Prior said: "We were immediately captivated by Rebecca's deeply moving, highly suspenseful account of a young girl’s fight to escape the horrors of cult indoctrination. Judith struck us as an exceptional character - a young girl whose tenacity, intelligence and sheer force of will enables her to succeed where, all around her, adults are failing with the darkest of consequences. The Followers is as visually evocative as it is characterful and terrifying - we can’t wait to take Judith's story to the big screen."

The book was published by Picador in May 2015.