Peaky Blinders producer to adapt groundbreaking female detective novels into a new series

(Image credit: BBC Studios)

The production company that brought us Peaky Blinders has optioned PD James‘ popular Cordelia Gray novels and has plans to adapt the series into a female detective show.

According to Deadline, Caryn Mandabach Productions has plans to turn both of James’ Gray novels, titled An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and The Skull Beneath the Skin, into TV shows.

The stories, which were written over 40 years ago, follow a young woman, Cordelia Gray, as she embarks on her first few murder cases after inheriting a detective agency. The first novel sees Gray investigate a mysterious hanging, and the second follows an actress who has been receiving death threats. At the time of release, Gray was seen as a feminist icon and a pioneer as a working woman.

Although the author has passed away, CMP development boss Alexandra Arlango knew as soon as she read the first novel that the story had to be turned into a series, so she contacted James’ family. "With their blessing, we started the hunt for someone to bring this book series into the 21st Century," Arlango said. "[Screenwriter] Eve Hedderwick Turner had always been on our radar, and she is the perfect fit to help make Cordelia Gray an iconic, compelling, and unexpected lead for a new generation."

As part of the deal with the James estate, the company has promised to develop further Gray stories. No cast or storyline has been revealed, but we do know that writer Eve Hedderwick Turner, known for her Anne Boleyn series, will develop the novels. It is not yet clear when the series will go into development.

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