The Crown writer Amy Jenkins has come on board to pen a TV adaptation of the Sisi novels for Patrick Wachsberger’s Picture Perfect Federation.
Jenkins, the creator and showrunner of the BBC’s This Life, will adapt Allison Pataki’s best-selling novels for Picture Perfect Federation, former Lionsgate executive Wachsberger’s newly launched joint venture with Marseille producer Pascal Breton. The novels are another royal tale for Jenkins as they are based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
“Sisi was an extraordinary young Empress. Charismatic and free thinking, she was a royal rebel who set the Habsburg court on fire in a surprisingly modern way. I’m looking forward to bringing a very feminine perspective to her fascinating struggle for self determination,” said Jenkins.
“We are very excited to have brought Amy Jenkins with her strong voice to this extraordinary saga of this very modern woman’s journey,” said Wachsberger.
The book series has two titles, “The Accidental Empress” and “Sisi: Empress on Her Own.” The drama will start in 1853 and continue to the start of World War I.
The show will be the first TV series telling of the Sisi story; Romy Schneider portrayed the empress in a 1955 German-language film and two sequels, which were very successful and have remained popular.
MAS Production is on board to executive produce, with Picture Perfect Federation set to produce and handle worldwide sales.
