Bestselling Madison Knight Female Detective Novels Get Series Adaptation with Helene Joy to Star
Muse Entertainment, the Emmy® Award-winning independent studio headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with production operations in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles, has teamed with POP Fiction Entertainment, a division of the Sydney-based multi-genre production house POP Family Entertainment, to develop an eight hour drama inspired by the acclaimed Madison Knight female detective novels written by award-winning Canadian author Carolyn Arnold.
Australian writer Justin Monjo (Storm Boy, Jungle, Farscape) is developing the series with Canadian writer Lynn Coady (Orphan Black, Diggstown). Australian Helene Joy (Durham County, Murdoch Mysteries) will star as Madison Knight, the bold and uncompromising detective who is harboring an explosive secret. Orion Lee (First Cow) is also attached to play the role of Madison’s work partner, Detective Steven Hung. Daniel Nettheim (Line of Duty, Broadchurch) is attached to direct. The series is a co-production between Muse Entertainment and POP Fiction Entertainment. Lynn Coady, Helene Joy, Matthew Lesher, Justin Monjo, Jesse Prupas and Carmel Travers will serve as executive producers.
Inspired by the bestselling novels by author Carolyn Arnold, Madison Knight is a heart-pounding crime drama about an unconventional female detective who will stop at nothing to bring criminals to justice both inside and outside the law. The series is set on the spectacular Pacific coastline of Sydney, Australia and in the unforgiving winter wilderness of British Columbia, Canada.
Helene Joy shared her enthusiasm for the role: “Working for years on a successful series had me searching for another great series with the same qualities; a core cast of characters that you become addicted to, in a strong crime procedural format. As I read the books, I was immediately taken with Madison as a leading female character. She is unapologetic, unpredictable and deeply flawed. An extremely reluctant heroine if you will. What I love most is her sardonic nature and deeply sarcastic sense of humor. She doesn’t suffer fools and has little time for small talk.”
Jesse Prupas, Senior Vice President, Muse Entertainment, said: “We are incredibly proud to have produced several female-led detective series such as “Bellevue” (CBC, WGN), “Coroner” (CBC, CW) and “The Murders” (Citytv, Sundance Now). Madison Knight is a continuation of this conscious decision to depict rich and complex leading female characters. We look forward to teaming with Pop Fiction Entertainment and working with Helene, Jusin and Lynn, who share our creative vision and enthusiasm to bring a Madison Knight series to its fans and viewers around the world.”
POP Fiction Entertainment’s Carmel Travers commented: “Working with the team at Muse has been something Jesse Prupas and I have been trying to make happen for a few years. The intriguing Madison Knight stories, combined with fabulous talent like Helene Joy, Orion Lee, Justin Monjo, Lynn Coady and Daniel Nettheim has finally brought Muse and Pop together. Being able to develop storylines that seamlessly work across the two continents is a hugely satisfying experience. We’re looking forward to bringing the series to the screen.”
Helene Joy is currently shooting her fifteenth season of The Murdoch Mysteries. She also starred in Durham County for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Leading Actress in a Series. She also starred in Sadie’s Last Days on Earth and more recently produced and starred in the feature film Woman in Car. Helene starred in the CTV pilot Stay with Me alongside Andrea Roth and just finished a starring role in the Andre Bovell play Speaking in Tongues, which had its World Premiere at the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto. Before that, Helene was known for her comedic work as the lead in the series, An American in Canada. Helene has been nominated and has won numerous Gemini Awards and Canadian Screen Awards throughout her career.