Damon Lindelof is bringing another dark, high-concept thriller to the screen, according to TheWrap.
HBO has officially ordered an eight-episode limited series based on The Chain by Adrian McKinty, with Lindelof set to write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner.
The Chain was a Dead Good Books: 100 Best Crime Books Of All Time Selection in 2020 and a Time Magazine: 100 Must-Read Books Selection in 2019. It’s also an award-winning book, winning the “Best Hardcover Novel” at the International Thriller Writers awards, and was voted Theakston’s Old Peculier’s best Crime Novel of the Year.
The novel’s hook is brutally simple: when a child is kidnapped, the parent is told they can get their kid back only if they abduct someone else’s child. That’s the “chain,” and it keeps moving until someone breaks it.
According to the report, the project is a straight-to-series order, which is always a strong signal of confidence. It also puts a major prestige-TV name on a book that already reads like a binge.
No casting details yet, but this is the sort of adaptation that tends to move quickly once the order is public. If you’ve been looking for a thriller to read before everyone starts talking about the show, this is an easy candidate.
Visit our Adrian McKinty page and follow him to be notified of more news updates about “The Chain”.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Graeme is the founder of Book Notification. Born in Scotland and now living in Canada, his lifelong love of reading began with Enid Blyton. He enjoys spy thrillers, psychological thrillers, light sci-fi, and anything to do with time travel. His favorite book is Replay by Ken Grimwood.