Action Adventure Novel ‘The Muziris Empire’ Rights Snapped Up for Film Adaptation: ‘The Da Vinci Code of India’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran

13 December 2023 at 2:16 am·2-min read

U.S. outfit Parmar Entertainment’s Daljit DJ Parmar along with Samir Gupta from India’s Impact Films and filmmaker Mohit Ramchandani (“Dreamer”) have acquired film adaptation rights to upcoming novel “The Muziris Empire” by U.K. author Hamish Morjaria.

The first in a trilogy, the book is set to be released by Pan Macmillan in summer 2024. It delves into India’s ancient history and its connection to the Roman Empire, unravelled by rebellious archaeologist Harveen Gill. Moving back and forth in time and set in present-day Kerala – once home to the ancient city of Muziris – the story revolves around Gill and a team of Indian archaeologists hunting down clues to locate the site of the ruins of the lost empire of Muziris. The soon-to-be-head of Santa Alleanza, a sacred alliance founded to safeguard the interests of the Vatican and the Papacy, is keeping close tabs on the Indian team’s progress, for their next discovery could shake the foundations of the church.

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Parmar, Ramchandani and Gupta will produce the film and will engage an A-list writer in 2024 to develop the screenplay, with a view to commencing production in 2025.

Parmar’s debut film, 2017’s “Kung Fu Yoga,” starred Jackie Chan and grossed over $250 million at the box office. Parmar Entertainment recently revealed a $100 million, five-year, 10-picture production deal with Beacon Media that will kick off with a film starring Russell Peters.

Daljit DJ Parmar, CEO and producer at Parmar Entertainment, said: “Growing up as a South Asian in Canada, I was taught the history of the West but not the history of my ancestors. The opportunity to share this history, wrapped in an edge-of-your-seat action adventure film, is a dream come true.”

Samir Gupta, owner and managing director of Impact Films, added: “Stories centred around South Asian history and characters are just starting to hit the mainstream after the success of ‘RRR,’ and we are proud to bring ‘The Da Vinci Code’ of India to audiences around the world.”

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