Yellow Bird U.S. To Adapt Krystal Sutherland’s Novel ‘A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares’

Peter White
·2 min read

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Krystal Sutherland’s novel A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares is being adapted into a TV series by the U.S. division of Wallander producer Yellow Bird.

Yellow Bird U.S., which is run by Headhunters producer Marianne Gray, and is a joint venture with Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer Bunim/Murray Productions, has optioned the rights to Sutherland’s second novel.

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This comes as her first book, Our Chemical Hearts, is being adapted by Amazon Studios into a feature starring Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart.

A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares follows 17-year old Esther Solar, who believes everyone in her family has been cursed with a Great Fear: a debilitating phobia that will ultimately kill them. Her father is agoraphobic, her mother is obsessed with avoiding bad luck, and her brother is petrified of the dark. As for Esther, she is yet to discover hers, and is determined to try and avoid it by carefully cataloguing every possibility in the eponymous “semi-definitive list”. However, her plan is soon upturned when her childhood crush, Jonah, discovers the list, uncovering her secret and convincing her to tackle each and every fear, including the one she was yet to consider: love.

It is the latest book to be optioned by Yellow Bird U.S., which was set up in 2018, following deals for The 7 Keys, from Swedish internet security expert, Åsa Schwartz, and I Found You, from Lisa Jewell.

Sutherland said, “I am so thrilled that Esther’s story has found its home at Yellow Bird. From the moment I first spoke with Marianne and the team, I was struck by how deeply they understood the characters and the story. I can’t wait to watch them bring it to life on screen.”

Gray added, “I was immediately so impressed by how insightful the writing is. Krystal has an incredible voice and a rare ability to explore difficult themes, including mental health and generational trauma, with heart, humor and hope.”

Sutherland is repped by UTA and Yellow Bird U.S. by WME.

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