Charlie Bone is headed to the small screen.
Deadline reports that Amazon MGM Studios has ordered a pilot based on Jenny Nimmo’s series of children’s fantasy novels about a haunted schoolboy who attends a school for teens with special gifts. Joseph Fiennes and Carmen Ejogo are among the actors signed on to the adaptation.
Nimmo’s series debuted in 2003 with the novel Midnight for Charlie Bone. A critic for Kirkus wasn’t impressed with the book, calling it a “formulaic, thinly disguised placeholder for the next Harry Potter.” Nine books followed, along with three prequels and two supplementary books.
Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love, Enemy at the Gates) will star as Dr. Bloor, the principal of Charlie’s school. Other cast members include Ejogo (Selma, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them), Emma Sidi (Pls Like), and Cory McClane (Hollyoaks) as Charlie.
Max Gill is writing the pilot episode with Toby MacDonald (Extraordinary) directing; both are executive producers. Filming on the pilot has begun in the U.K., but the series doesn’t have a name yet. Deadline reports that the show will be marketed to a young adult audience; the books were written for middle-grade readers.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
