The Lighthouse Options Young Adult Trilogy From Juno Dawson
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The Lighthouse – the production company launched by former BBC executives Hilary Salmon, Radford Neville and Nick Betts – has optioned the global television rights to the trilogy of novels from author Juno Dawson.
“Clean” (2018) and “Meat Market” (2019) were both published to critical acclaim, with “Meat Market” shortlisted for the forthcoming 2020 Young Adult Book Prize. The third book in the trilogy “Wonderland” will be published by Hachette Children’s Books on May 28.
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In a statement, The Lighthouse team said the novels create “a vibrant world where privilege and the upper reaches of society clash with the disadvantaged and the troubled.” They added: “Juno’s voice is intimate, provocative and insightful whilst dealing with difficult subjects such as addiction and identity. Her novels articulate the complexity of growing up in these peculiar and exciting times and are bursting with unforgettable characters and pin-sharp dialogue.”
Dawson said: “I was incredibly impressed by The Lighthouse’s ambitious vision for the world that my young heroines occupy. It’s an epic, opulent version of London ruled by socialites and social climbers on a scale that few young adult shows have attempted before.”
The option was negotiated by The Lighthouse with Marc Simonsson, the film, television and dramatic rights agent at MMB Creative. All three novels are published in the U.K. by Hachette Children’s Books.
The Lighthouse launched in autumn 2019, and in April it was announced that Sky Studios had taken a minority stake in the company. They have a number of projects in development including an adaptation of Howard Mark’s cult autobiography, “Mr Nice,” a co-production with Independent Film Company, written by Neil Forsyth (BBC’s “Guilt”). Salmon will also be an executive producer on a new drama series for AMC, “61st Street,” written by Peter Moffat and set in Chicago.
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