Rebelle Media and MGM Television have acquired the rights to adapt Sarah Adams‘ book series Rebel Moon for the small screen.
Co-Founder of Rebelle Media Amanda Palley announced the news at San Diego Comic-Con in the “Romance on the Big Screen: Why It’s About Damn Time” panel Thursday.
“You guys know this series, correct?” cofounder counterpart Laura Lewis asked the audience in the panel. “I don’t feel like I need to pitch it, but we’re so excited about it because we just need more of those small town shows. Also it’s just got such a great cast of characters we can’t wait to bring to life.
Set in Rome, Kentucky, the first When In Rome book centers Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fanbase. Amelia is burnt out after maintaining her celebrity “priness of pop” status, so she drives off in the middle of the night to take a vacation to Rome, but not the Italian capital, the small city in Kentucky. The inspiration comes from her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday.
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There, her car breaks down, sending her to the front lawn of one Noah Walker, who immediately makes it clear that he doesn’t sympathize with celebrities or their champagne problems. The baker, who inherited a pie shop from his grandmother, lets the stranded pop star stay in his guest room, but only until she gets her car fixed, or so readers are led to believe.
When In Rome is followed by Practice Makes Perfect and then Beg, Borrow, or Steal, each of which follows two different couples who also have their meet cutes in Rome, Kentucky.
Deadline broke the news in March that the recently rebranded Rebelle Media is developing adaptations of Christina Lauren’s The Paradise Problem and Rebecca Armitage’s The Heir Apparent, a recent Reese’s Book Club selection. They are also working on a television adaptation of Jo Piazza’s The Sicilian Inheritance with MGM Television.
Founded by Laura Lewis in 2018 with a focus on female-driven stories, Rebelle — which was behind the Hulu breakout series Tell Me Lies and the films Mr. Malcolm’s List and Long Weekend — will now be singularly focused on romance, developing and producing love-led storytelling across film, television and books.
Amanda Palley has joined as Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, partnering with her longtime friend Lewis, who continues as Chief Executive Officer. Palley came over after more than a decade at CBS Studios and the network, where she served as Senior Vice President of Current Programs and head of Current for CBS’s CW series.
Other panelists included authors Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren and Maureen Goo as well as Magic Hour Entertainment’s Max Seimers.
