Fresh off her major success with AMC’s blockbuster hit “The Walking Dead”, producer Gale Ann Hurd is looking to add a new TV series to her resume with an adaptation of the bestselling 1998 spy novel “The Eleventh Hour” by British author Jeffrey Archer. The development deal was announced today by New Franchise Media Inc. (NFMI), which holds the rights to the tome.
The book centers on CIA asssassin Connor Fitzgerald, who discovers he was set up by forces within the agency after being captured and imprisoned during a mission to murder a Russian presidential candidate. He then must try and prevent the episode from steamrolling into an outbreak of World War III.
“Jeffrey Archer’s storytelling is compelling, character driven and perfect for television-full of fast-paced, high-stakes danger.” said Hurd in a statement. “I’m thrilled to bring his books and the adventures of Connor Fitzgerald to life for audiences.”
This is the latest of several Archer novels to be adapted for the screen; previous TV credits for the author include miniseries adaptations of his books “Kane & Abel” and “First Among Equals” (1985 and 1986, respectively). It was also recently announced that Frank Marshall (“Arachnophobia”, “Congo”) would be producing and directing a feature adaptation of his 1986 spy thriller “A Matter of Honor”.
The author’s books have sold in excess of 300 million copies worldwide.
Interestingly, Archer himself became plagued with scandal during a run in British politics that spanned from the mid-1970s into the early ’00s. His political career ended in 2001 after he was found guilty of perjury and “perverting the course of justice” during a 1987 libel trail and sentenced to four years in prison. He was released in 2003.