The podcast-to-screen pipeline is going strong, thanks in part to recent adaptations that have garnered major awards recognition and viewer interest. As part of The Hollywood Reporter’s Rights Available feature, which has highlighted books with industry appeal, we have compiled a collection of podcasts that are ripe for film or TV adaptation. The collection below are podcasts featured in the print magazine that were available for pickup at the time of publication.
Svetlana! Svetlana!
By Dan Kitrosser • Produced by iHeartMedia and The Documentary Group • Agency WME and UTA
Leaning into the chaotic and absurd, this series tells the story of Joseph Stalin’s only daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, who defected to the U.S. in 1967 during the Cold War. Her life in the West became entangled with a cult-like commune in the Arizona desert run by Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife, Olgivanna; her marriage to a Wright protégé; and her increasingly complicated views of the U.S.
Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature
By Alex Kemp and Winnie Kemp • Produced by Wolf at the Door and Realm • Agency CAA
This narrative fiction series debuted at Tribeca and hails from the production company that co-produced Spotify’s hit series, Batman Unburied. Formatted like a series of recorded university lectures, Modes of Thought details the discovery of an ancient civilization, believed to be the earliest human society, found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean following the accident of a Chinese government submarine. Strange occurrences take place throughout the recordings, leaving listeners to question what the truth is and what has purposefully been hidden.
Stealing Superman
By Dana Schwartz • Rep/Producer iHeartMedia
On New Year’s Eve in 1999, a heist was underway to steal prized comics from Nicolas Cage (yes, that one). Included in the theft was Action Comics #1, which featured the first appearance of Superman — and the location of which eluded police and collectors for more than a decade. In this series, journalist Dana Schwartz teams up with an art detective and comic book dealer on a quest to answer, Who stole Nic Cage’s comics?
Chameleon: Dr. Dante
Produced by Campside Media and Sony Entertainment • Agency UTA
The latest season of the Chameleon series, hosted by Sam Mullins, follows a hypnotist known as Dr. Dante whose skills and scams lead him to target women interested in self-help out of millions. Along the way, Dante’s schemes involve the launch of a fake university and the attempted murder of a rival hypnotist. The show is a star vehicle prime for a charismatic interpretation.
Gone South: The Dixie Mafia
Produced by Cadence 13 • Agency WME
Hosted by Jed Lipinski, this nonfiction series focuses on The Dixie Mafia, which served as inspiration for characters in HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, and is ripe for a more focused adaptation, given viewer interest in cult-like groups and unsolved murders.
Eliza: A Robot Story
Written by Emma Hickman • Produced by Crowd Network • Agency CAA
Starring Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds, this eight-part narrative scripted series is about the robot, Eliza, who falls in love with her owner (played by Doctor Who star Arthur Darvill). But a romance this is not, as Eliza’s growing sentience leads to realizations about abuse and coercion.
This story first appeared as entries in February, March and April issues of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
April 13, 4:20 p.m.: Updated to reflect that UTA represents Svetlana! Svetlana! alongside WME.
