The Traveling Picture Show Company (TPSC) has acquired the rights to two series from best-selling author Kennedy Ryan.
The company will develop “Hoops” and “All the King’s Men,” totaling six books, into two limited series for television. Kevin Matusow, Carissa Buffel, Luisa Iskin and Johnny Wunder of TPSC are producing with executive producer Sadia Ashraf under her Rising Tides banner.
The “All the King’s Men” series, which includes the books “The Kingmaker,” “The Rebel King” and “Queen Move,” follows two best friends who dedicate their lives to electing leaders who will champion the causes they are committed to. These include activism around Native rights, missing and murdered Indigenous women, climate change, pay equity and voter suppression.
The “Hoops” series, which includes “Hook Shot,” “Block Shot” and “Long Shot,” are a series of romance novels set in world of the NBA. The series follows three couples whose day jobs include professional basketball, fashion design and sports representation.
“Seeing these stories of powerful, dynamic, fully-realized characters of color translated from book to screen is a dream come true,” Ryan said. “As an avid romance reader who grew up often not seeing myself adequately reflected in the books I loved, it’s a privilege to write stories of women from marginalized communities getting the happily ever afters they deserve.”
Popular on Variety
In 2019, Ryan became the first African American author to win the romance industry’s prestigious RITA Award, which has since been renamed the Vivian honoring Vivian Stephens, founder of Romance Writers of America.
“Kennedy Ryan empowers her female protagonists in such a beautiful way as her talented writing lets each take charge of their destinies, and we are thrilled to be working with her to bring these series and characters to life,” TPSC’s Carissa Buffel said.
“We are delighted to produce Kennedy Ryan’s exquisite and diverse books as Rising Tides is on a mission to highlight stories from rich cultures, who are often underrepresented on screen,” Sadia Ashraf said.
TPSC recently acquired the life rights to “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” figure Mario Tabraue, which they, along with Anonymous Content, are developing into a limited series. The company also wrapped filming on the comedy “Unplugging” with Eva Longoria and Matt Walsh, as well as the true crime thriller “American Murderer” starring Tom Pelphrey, Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel and Jacki Weaver.
Kennedy Ryan is represented by Kim Lionetti of BookEnds Literary Agency and Gersh. Sadia Ashraf is repped by Nadia Davari at CSP Management.
