Amazon to Develop 'Shadow Work' Drama From Adrienne Miller
Amazon MGM Studios is turning Adrienne Miller's short story "Shadow Work" into a one-hour television drama.
Trade publication Variety reported the development exclusively on 28 September, citing sources Variety. The project is in development, meaning work has started but Amazon has not yet ordered it to series. That is the earliest formal stage for a scripted show.
The planned series centres on Genevieve Pearce, an elite ghostwriter for the rich, famous and infamous. A ghostwriter is hired to write books or memoirs that appear under someone else's name. The set-up puts Pearce inside powerful lives and private deals. Secrets come with the job.
A one-hour label describes the format, the prime-time drama slot that usually runs for around 42 to 60 minutes on air. Adapting a short story to fill that shape usually means building out characters and storylines well beyond the original pages. Having the original author on board keeps that expansion in her hands.
Miller will write the pilot, the first test episode used to decide whether a full series goes ahead. She will also serve as an executive producer, the senior title that carries creative and managerial control. Producer Marc Resteghini will executive produce alongside her through his organisation, Jack Tar Pictures. A banner of this kind is simply a producer's own production company.
Jack Tar Pictures operates under an overall deal at Amazon MGM Studios, meaning the studio backs the company's development and gets first call on its new ideas. According to Variety's reporting, producers had fielded multiple offers for "Shadow Work" in a competitive situation. Amazon then bought the property preemptively, making an early offer to finalise the deal before a longer auction could play out. Pre-emptive buys of this sort are used to stop rival bids quickly.
For people watching at home, this is a start rather than a premiere date. No cast has been announced. No episode count or release window has been set. The next public steps would normally be a script, possible casting attachments, and then a decision on whether a pilot shoots or the project moves straight to series.
