☰

JoltBlog

Sex Education Producer Eleven, Sony to Adapt Jeffrey Archers Bestselling Kane and

Eleven and Sony Television International are adapting novelist and former politician Jeffrey Archer’s bestselling “Kane and Abel” trilogy for television.

The trilogy, comprising “Kane and Abel,” “The Prodigal Daughter” and “Shall We Tell The President,” were written by Archer between 1977 and 1982. It tells the story of two men, one Polish, an illegitimate son of a Baron, the other rich and privileged from a wealthy Boston banking family. Born on the same day on opposite sides of the world, their paths cross only once in their ruthless pursuit to build a fortune, but what follows is an epic story of revenge that spans 60 years. Linked by an all-consuming hatred after one catastrophic incident, these two patriarchs blindly commit their lives to destroying one another’s empires. It’s only when Abel’s strong-willed daughter, Florentyna, meets Kane’s son Richard, that these two enemies start to understand that their feud is going to come at great personal cost.

Related Stories

The Hollywood sign with a hand coming out of the "O" holding a megaphone VIP+

Hollywood’s Next Superhero: Purpose-Led Branding  

Janet Jackson, Kamala Harris

Janet Jackson Believes U.S. Election Will End in 'Mayhem,' Falsely Claims Kamala Harris Is 'Not Black': 'I Was Told They Discovered Her Father Was White'

“Kane and Abel” is written by Sarah Quintrell (“His Dark Materials”) and executive produced by Joel Wilson and Jamie Campbell for Eleven, and James Baker and James Archer for The Jeffrey Archer Company. Sony Pictures Television, who acquired Eleven in 2020, will handle international rights.

Popular on Variety

Eleven is best known for hit Netflix series “Sex Education” and Stan/BBC series “Ten Pound Poms.” “Sex Education” Season 4 continues to rack up the numbers for Netflix.

Archer’s books are published in more than 100 countries and in more than 45 languages with sales estimated to be more than 275 million copies.

“Kane and Abel” was previously adapted as a CBS series in 1985 and starred Sam Neill and Peter Strauss.

“I am thrilled to be working with Sony, Joel and the Eleven Productions team and Sarah to reimagine the ‘Kane and Abel’ trilogy for a new TV series,” said Archer.

Quintrell added: “It’s exciting to be adapting Jeffrey’s epic and extraordinary ‘Kane and Abel’ trilogy. The big themes of power, privilege, pride, love and loss – exploring what man does to man and the ramifications of our behaviour across generations – feel incredibly timely. The bold storytelling and wonderful twists and hooks meant I couldn’t put the novels down. It’s a writer’s dream to adapt such a rollercoaster ride especially alongside Joel, Sophie and the brilliant team at Eleven.”

Wilson added: “Sarah is the most wonderful writer. The combination of Sarah and Jeffrey’s incredibly compelling trilogy is a deeply fascinating one and I can’t wait to find a broadcaster who shares our vision for the long-running series we have in mind.”

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2Fjq2taJ%2BcpK%2BiuI6snLFllZnCpK3ToqanZZqas6e%2BxLJkmqqTnbKzecqapZ5lkaOxbq3BnqNmnZyaw6a6jKymp7FdZn90gZZtb3FtYWQ%3D

Martina Birk

Update: 2024-08-24

<< The Best Labor Day Grill Deals at Walmart You Can Shop Now: Save On Weber, Blackstone and More

Lings >>