Producer Raffaella de Laurentiis has optioned Lucinda Riley’s bestselling book series “The Seven Sisters” for television, an official release has announced.
The novel is “the first of a unique seven book series loosely based on the mythology of the star constellation known as the Pleiades (a.k.a the Seven Sisters).” Her company, Raffaella Productions, will produce.
“‘The Seven Sisters’ story begins on the shores of Lake Geneva where six of the sisters gather in their childhood home after the death of their adoptive father and discover tantalizing clues about their true heritage,” said Riley. “‘We follow each sister on their journeys across the world to find their roots, but the overarching mystery is that of Pa Salt, the sisters’ adoptive father. Who was he? And where is the Seventh sister?’ Through a story that unfolds in locations around the world, both in the past and present, the book series attains a ‘Game of Thrones’ level of scale and expansive cast of characters, the emphasis firmly on complex family relationships and the redemptive power of love.”
De Laurentiis is currently in post-production on another seven sister project, “What Happened to Monday?” which stars Noomi Rapace and Glenn Close. But Riley’s more modern setting of the story intrigued her.
“While Riley’s story line is completely different from ‘What Happened to Monday?,’ the book’s title and the seven sisters connection compelled me to read it,” said de Laurentiis. “Though ‘What Happened to Monday?’ deals with seven sisters in quite a different time and setting, the coincidence was just too much to resist. I immediately fell in love with Lucinda’s story.”
Riley is the bestselling author of “The Orchid House,” “The Girl on the Cliff,” “The Lavender Garden,” and “The Midnight Rose.” Her books have sold more than eight million copies and have been translated into 39 languages.
De Laurentiis’ films include “Conan The Barbarian” and “Conan The Destroyer,” which launched the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Lynch’s “Dune,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Dragonheart,” “Prancer,” Ron Howard’s “Backdraft,” and the V.F.X. film “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.”