The Doll Factory, the bestselling debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal, is being turned into a six-part series for Paramount+.
Produced by London-headquartered Buccaneer Media, the drama will join the line-up of Paramount+ Originals available for subscribes in the UK and Ireland. It’ll also be shown public broadcasters SBS in Australia and New Zealand’s TVNZ and will be distributed internationally by Cineflix.
Set in London, 1850, The Doll Factory tells the story of Iris, who paints dolls for a living alongside her twin sister, Rose. Iris dreams of becoming an artist. By night, she secretly paints herself naked. Silas is a taxidermist who owns a shop filled with his creations. He dreams of one day finding an item so unique he will be catapulted to fame. Louis is a painter and member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, searching for his next muse.
When Iris meets Silas, and then Louis, she is offered an opportunity to escape and start a new life. To do so, she must abandon her sister, sacrifice her reputation, and launch herself into the unknown. But as Iris’ world expands, a story of dark obsession begins to unfold…
Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer, UK, at Paramount, said: “The Doll Factory combines intrigue with universal themes of passion and obsession to tell a compelling story which will resonate with our Paramount+ audience.
“We are delighted to work with Buccaneer Media as we continue to build our offering of Paramount+ Originals with UK storytelling talent.”
Tony Wood and Richard Tulk-Hart, Buccaneer’s joint CEOs, said: “The combination of debut author Elizabeth Macneal with first time screenwriter Charley Miles is what this company is all about: emergent talent who will take the world by storm.
“To have SBS and TVNZ join Paramount+ at such an early stage is testament to the incredible writing of Charley. Cineflix also saw the potential of this very early on and after their success with our previous two shows we’re very happy to have them as distribution partners as well.”
Elizabeth Macneal commented: “It is the most surreal and wonderful thing to have my novel turned into a TV series.
“When I wrote the book, I felt I knew each character intimately – and what a treat it will be to see them fully brought to life, from Iris’s fire and zest to be a painter, to the taxidermist Silas’s hunger to have his name recognised.
“I always said I wanted to work with a screenwriter who was able to reimagine my novel in a new way for a new audience, and I am stunned by the wonder that is Charley Miles’s script.
“It has been an honour, too, to work with Anna, Tony and Richard at Buccaneer, who have shown such passion, kindness and commitment. We have an extremely exciting year ahead!”