A24's UK division has won the television rights to adapt Josh Silver's debut adult novel Fruit Fly, beating out other bidders in a competitive process. Silver will serve as an executive producer on the adaptation. The deal was reported by Deadline on 29 July 2026.

Fruit Fly is published by Oneworld in the UK and Crooked Lane Books in North America, with the US and Canadian release set for 4 August 2026 — less than a week away. The publisher describes it as a provocative literary satire exploring privilege, modern queer identity, and the moral exploitation of pain in the publishing industry. That is a lot of thematic weight for one novel, and it is now headed for the screen.

Silver is already a known name in young adult fiction. He wrote the YA dystopian duology HappyHead and Dead Happy, as well as TraumaLand. Fruit Fly marks his first novel written for an adult audience. His earlier work HappyHead was optioned for television in 2023 by actor Taron Egerton and Range Media Partners, meaning Silver is no stranger to having his stories circled for adaptation.

A24 UK, run by Piers Wenger and Rose Garnett, has been building a substantial slate of book-to-television adaptations. Beyond Fruit Fly, the division has optioned Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material, Patrick Radden Keefe's London Falling, Laura Shepherd-Robinson's We Are the Dead, and Marie-Claire Chappet's Broken Toys. That is five novels optioned for the screen, each from a different corner of the literary landscape.

The division also has original productions in the pipeline. Apple TV+'s Husbands, starring Juno Temple and Richard Gadd, is upcoming. So is Michaela Coel's series First Day on Earth, and Molly Manning Walker's Major Players for Channel 4.

What makes the Fruit Fly acquisition stand out is the timing. The book has not yet reached North American readers, and a television deal is already locked. That is a signal of confidence from A24 UK in the material — and a reminder that in the current market, a book's screen potential is often assessed before its widest audience has even turned the first page.

For Silver, it means a second property in active development for television. For readers, it means a novel that arrives in US and Canadian shops on 4 August with a TV adaptation already attached — an option, meaning a deal that secures the rights to develop a series, though no guarantee one will be made. Options expire. Projects stall. But the machinery has started turning.