Whitaker's We Begin at the End optioned by 20th Television

US production company 20th Television has acquired rights to develop Chris Whitaker's murder mystery We Begin at the End (Zaffre, 2020) in a "highly competitive situation", according to the publisher.

The deal was brokered by Luke Speed on behalf of Cathryn Summerhayes at the Curtis Brown Group, with Emmy and Tony award-winning director/producer Thomas Kail and Emmy-nominated producer Jennifer Todd on board to produce the adaptation under the Old 320 Sycamore television banner. No screenwriter is currently attached to the project. 

Karey Burke, president of 20th Television, commented: "Chris’ spellbinding murder mystery had us enthralled from the very first page, and Tommy and Jen are exactly the right producers to bring it to the screen. The characters, the suspense, the emotional arcs, we were all captivated and knew we had to make this into a television series. And Jordan and Elizabeth, who run the newly formed IP acquisitions department of our studios, were dogged in their pursuit of the project."

Kail and Todd added: "Chris’ remarkable voice and heart are woven into every intricate detail of this deeply moving story of family, redemption and hope. We are beyond excited to be able to bring self-proclaimed modern-day outlaw, Duchess Day Radley, and the rest of these powerful characters to life onscreen with Karey Burke and her passionate team at 20th TV."

Whitaker said: "I’ve spent such a large part of my life writing this book, and it means everything to have the perfect partners for this story in Tommy, Jennifer and Karey. I couldn’t be more thrilled."