Starz Grabs U.S., Canada Rights for Ella Purnell Thriller ‘Sweetpea’
Starz has landed the U.S. and Canada rights to a British revenge thriller starring Fallout’s Ella Purnell.
The premium cable outlet will air Sweetpea later this year. The drama is based on a 2017 novel by C.J. Skuse and stars Purnell as a quiet young woman who develops a taste for murder. Purnell is also an executive producer.
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The series from See-Saw Films, Fanboy and Sky Studios is also set to air on Sky Atlantic in the U.K.
“We’re excited to partner again with Ella Purnell and Sky Studios on such a fresh, boundary-breaking story,” said Alison Hoffman, president domestic networks at Starz. “This darkly comedic tale of revenge is sure to thrill viewers, as is Ella’s performance as a woman who finds her voice and claims her agency in ways that are devious and shocking.”
Sweetpea marks a return to Starz for Purnell, who starred in the network’s drama Sweetbitter. She went on to star in Showtime’s Yellowjackets and Fallout at Amazon’s Prime Video.
The description of Sweetpea reads, “Rhiannon Lewis (Purnell) doesn’t make much of an impression — people walk past her in the street without a second glance. She’s continually overlooked for a promotion at work, the guy she likes won’t commit, and her dad is really, really sick. Then everything in her life turns upside down. Rhiannon is pushed over the edge and loses control. Suddenly the wallflower is gone, and in its place is a young woman capable of anything. Rhiannon’s life transforms as she steps into anew, intoxicating power, but can she keep her killer secret?”
Nic?le Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, Jeremy Swiftand Dustin Demri-Burns also star.
Kirstie Swain (HBO’s Run) adapted the novel along with Krissie Ducker, Laura Jayne Tunbridge and Selena Lim. Swain executive produces with Purnell, director Ella Jones, Sky Studios’ Manpreet Dosanjh, Fanboy’s Patrick Walters and See-Saw Films’ Helen Gregory, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman.
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