Novelist and former politician Jeffrey Archer has struck a deal with India‘s Applause Entertainment that will see six of his novels adapted for film and TV.
The landmark agreement is the first global book acquisition that the Aditya Birla Group-owned Applause has struck. It comprises ‘Clifton Chronicles‘ series, which comprises seven novellas, plus ‘The Fourth Estate’, ‘First Among Equals’, ‘The Eleventh Commandment’, ‘Sons of Fortune’ and ‘Heads You Win.’
Speaking at a press conference earlier today, in which Archer appeared from the UK via video link, Applause CEO Sameer Nair said work on the adaptations would begin immediately and said new announcements would follow in “three to six months.”
Archer, a playing a comically curmudgeonly character, urged Applause to work quickly, saying: “I’m 85 years old so please get on with it.” The press conference had begun late it began just seconds after the denouement of the England-India cricket test match at The Oval in London, where Archer had been watching the game earlier this week with Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, former UK Prime Minister John Major and legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
The deal came after a year of negotiations. It marks the first time Archer’s novels will have been adapted for multiple formats in India with his blessing. He recalled how Indian people would tell him they had liked a TV adaptation of his novel ‘Kane and Abel’ that had nothing to do with him. “They stole the story,” he said wearily.
Nair, who said he had grown up reading Archer’s novels, said Indian unscripted TV had been legitimately produced for many years, but that scripted had not always met similar standards. “Lots of things have got ripped off over the years,” he added. The correct way to do it is to acknowledge the original IP and creation.”
There were “wonderful stories to be told,” added Nair, who noted that they could be “premium drama series, longform series or movies,” per terms of the deal with Archer. He called on India’s writers, producers and directors to connect with Applause with ideas. “My entire creative community are Archer fans and I’m hoping they call me,” he said. “I’m putting it out as a challenge to our creative friends.”
Archer was in part persuaded to team with Applause due to the Indian company’s vow to stick to the original scripts, as he argued the quality of the writing process when adapting a novel internationally was the most key element to making a success.
“Get the right person to write the screenplay, you’re on,” he added. “Get the wrong person, you’re out. I want the best translator [and it’s the same] same with a film. I don’t want the Indian audience saying it’s not as good as the book.”
He later displayed anger as he referred to, “When I read someone else’s work and some moron tries to change the story because they think they know better.”
Archer is a former Conservative politician and one of the UK’s most well-known writers. After a career in Whitehall, he was jailed in the UK in 2001 for perjury and perverting the course of justice relating to a civil case in 1987. Having published his first novel in 1974, he has amassed book sales of over 300 million copies in 115 countries and 49 languages. He is the only author to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction. His latest novel, ‘End Game’ is being published on September 23.
Applause is known for series such as Black Warrant, The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, Criminal Justice, Scam, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness and Mithya, films including Por Thozhil and docs such as Zwigato.
