SBS boards thriller The Doll Factory

SBS has partnered with Paramount+ and TVNZ on an adaptation of period thriller The Doll Factory.

The six-part thriller based on a novel by Elizabeth Macneal is a story of obsession centred around a doll painter and her twin sister. Adapted by rising writer Charley Miles it will be produced Buccaneer Media (Marcella, Crime, Whistable Pearl).

Sacha Polak (Hanna, Dirty God) is on board as director, Suzanne McAuley (Magpie Murders, Maigret) is producer and Julie Harkin (I May Destroy You, Becoming Elizabeth) is casting director.

“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,” said Paramount UK’s Cardwell.

Buccaneer co-CEOs said Tony Wood and Richard Tulk-Hart in a statement, “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.”

The deal will see SBS take Australian rights.

Set in London in 1850, The Doll Factory tells the story of Iris, who paints dolls for a living alongside her twin sister, Rose, and dreams of becoming an artist and by night 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.

Source: Deadline