Killian Scott and Sarah Green in Dublin Murders. Copyright Fremantle
Killian Scott and Sarah Green in Dublin Murders. Copyright Fremantle

#IrishTV: US network Starz acquire rights to new Irish series Dublin Murders

THR is reporting that US premium channel Starz has acquired the rights to Dublin Murders, an 8 part TV series based on Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad books, adapted by Sarah Phelps (And Then There Were NoneWitness for the ProsecutionOrdeal by Innocence).

The series stars Killian Scott (Love/Hate, Damnation) and Sarah Greene (Rosie, Dublin Oldschool) as Dublin detectives Rob Reilly and Cassie Maddox.

The series blends the first two novels, In the Woods and The Likeness to deliver a dark psychological mystery with a tap root that drops deep down into Ireland’s past, foreshadows the future and brings insight to its present.

This series, set during the height of the Celtic Tiger financial boom of the millennium, will focus on two murder investigations led by ambitious and charismatic Detectives Rob Reilly and Cassie Maddox. The victims – a young talented ballerina who is found dead on an ancient stone altar; and a vivacious free-spirited woman, who is found stabbed in a roofless famine cottage – are seemingly unrelated, but as we will discover, are actually knitted together by powerful shared themes – the macabre ‘red in tooth and claw’ elements of both stories, and their heart-thumping psychological thriller qualities.

Lead director Saul Dibb brings a cinematic vision to the production, opening the series with ambition and flare and casting in depth from a richly talented pool of Irish actors.

The Dublin Murder Squad novels have won major awards and topped bestseller lists across the world. Each novel is led by a different detective from the same Dublin squad and their signature is an intense emotional connection between cop and crime, underpinned by a disturbing tremor from another darker influence.

An all-star Irish cast also includes Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Frank, Moe Dunford as Sam, Leah McNamara as Rosalind, Ian Kenny as Phelan, Eugene O’Hare as Quigley, Jonny Holden as Damien with Conleth Hill as O Kelly, and Peter McDonald as Jonathan.

I couldn’t be more delighted to join the creative team behind Dublin Murders. Sarah Phelps has beautifully adapted Tana French’s compelling novels into a complex and dark exploration of memory, identity and the potentially devastating consequences of pursuing truth. The chance to stumble into this world alongside the wonderful Sarah Greene and under the guidance of our brilliant directors.
Killian Scott

I’m delighted to be cast in Dublin Murders. To work alongside such talented people as Killian Scott, and the entire creative team is a joy. The writing is brilliant and dark and it’s thrilling to give Tana French’s words a new life on screen through the wonderful Sarah Phelps.
Sarah Greene

I was so delighted to have been asked to adapt Tana French’s rich, thrilling novels In The Woods and The Likeness and from them create the complex, strange world of Dublin Murders. I’m so excited and proud to see my scripts coming to life under the guidance our brilliant directors Saul Dibb, John Hayes and Rebecca Gatward and I’m in total awe of our peerless cast of blazing Irish talent.
Sarah Phelps

We are absolutely delighted to be part of bringing Tana French’s utterly absorbing and highly evocative Dublin set thrillers to the screen. In Sarah Phelps and Saul Dibb, our amazing cast and crew and our friends at Euston, Veritas, BBC and Starz, we have incredible talent guiding this exciting adaptation.
Ed Guiney, Executive Producer – Element Pictures

Dublin Murders has been commissioned by Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, and Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content, and will be produced by Euston Films, Element Pictures and Veritas. The executive producers are Kate Harwood and Sarah Phelps for Euston Films, Alan Gasmer and Peter Jaysen for Veritas Entertainment Group, Ed Guiney for Element Pictures, and Elizabeth Kilgarriff for the BBC. Backing comes from Northern Ireland Screen.

It will air on RTÉ and BBC. FremantleMedia International will handle the international distribution of Dublin Murders.

This series is brilliantly adapted by Sarah Phelps, who in blending the first two novels has constructed a complex and enigmatic world for this suspense-filled drama. We look forward to bringing viewers along on this intense ride.
Chris Albrecht, President and CEO – Starz