Heyday Adapting Fantasy Crime Novel ‘Priest Of Bones’ For Television

EXCLUSIVE: Heyday Television, the production company run by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Marriage Story producer David Heyman, is adapting Peter McLean’s fantasy crime novel Priest of Bones for the small screen.

The company has optioned the rights to the book, which was published in October 2018 by Ace Books and Jo Fletcher Books, and is working with its joint venture partner NBCUniversal International Studios on the project.

The book has been described as “Peaky Blinders with swords.”

Priest of Bones, which is the first book in the War for the Rose Throne fantasy crime series, revolves around Army priest Tomas Piety and Sergeant Bloody Anne, who head home after the end of war. But things have changed while he was away: His crime empire has been stolen and the people of Ellinburg — his people — have run out of food and hope and places to hide. Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his with help from Anne; his brother, Jochan; and his gang, the Pious Men. But when he finds himself dragged into a web of political intrigue once again, everything gets more complicated. As the Pious Men fight shadowy foreign infiltrators in the backstreet taverns, brothels and gambling dens of Tomas’s old life, it becomes clear: The war is only just beginning.

A sequel, Priest of Lies, was published in July 2019, and the final two books, Priest of Gallows and Priest of Crowns will be published in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Heyday’s Tom Winchester and Jillian Share will oversee the development, and the pair are looking for a writer to pen the project.

McLean is represented by UTA and Jennie Goloboy at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Heyman is represented by UTA.

More from Deadline

• Issa Rae And David Heyman Team To Produce Tanya Smith's Memoir 'Ghost In The Machine' For Netflix

• 'The Capture': BBC Renews NBCUniversal Surveillance Thriller For Second Season

• David Heyman's Heyday Television Adapting Greg Howard's 'Middle School's A Drag, You Better Werk!' For TV

Best of Deadline

• U.S. Coronavirus Update: America Now Has Over 7 Million COVID-19 Cases As New Daily Infections Rise In 23 States

• Coronavirus: Movies That Have Halted Or Delayed Production Amid Outbreak

• Hong Kong Filmart Postponed Due To Coronavirus Fears; Event Moves Two Weeks Before Toronto

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.