Russell Lewis to adapt Peter James book series for ITV

Endeavour creator, Russell Lewis, has adapted two of James’ award winning novels for ITV.

Entitled Grace, two screenplays of 120 minutes will narrate the first two stories in the Roy Grace series, Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead with John Simm in the lead role of the tenacious detective.

“John Simm, who actually looks like the Roy Grace of my imagination, is inspired casting! With John in the lead, the brilliant scripting by Russell Lewis, and our wonderful production team, I’m confident that fans of my novels and of TV crime dramas in general will be in for a treat.” – Peter James

[pullquote]“Grace promises to be a compelling new detective series for ITV and we’re delighted to be bringing the iconic books to life.” – HUW KENNAIR-JONES, ITV[/pullquote]

Produced by Second Act Productions, Tall Story Pictures and Vaudeville Productions, the drama opens with Grace’s career at a low point. He’s fixated by the disappearance of his beloved wife, Sandy, which haunts his thoughts. He’s in the last chance saloon looking at long forgotten cold cases with little prospect of success. Following another reprimand for his unorthodox police methods, Grace is walking a career tightrope and risks being moved from the job he loves most.

With so much at stake, his colleague Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson knows he has more to give and asks him for help with a case. When a stag night prank appears to go wrong and the groom goes missing, Branson calls upon Grace to unravel events that led to the mysterious disappearance.

“I’m thrilled and honoured to be involved in bringing Peter James’ brilliantly gripping series of Roy Grace novels to ITV. Each story is a fantastic, hair-raising, twisting, switch-back of a roller-coaster ride that grips the reader from first to last, and the opportunity to translate that best-selling magic to television is like all one’s Christmases and birthdays come at once. As his millions of fans and admirers are well aware, Peter’s meticulous research and eye for detail is the stuff of legend. His long established, close relationship with the police, taken together with a knowledge of Brighton and the South Coast that is the sole preserve of the born and bred lends his stories an unimpeachable veracity of place and procedure. That John Simm will be breathing flesh to the bones of Roy Grace really is the cherry on a dark, and troublingly encrimsoned cake…” – Russell Lewis

Grace will begin filming in Brighton during the early months of 2020.