Yahoo Finance Sister to Adapt Sophie Toscan du Plantier Audible Podcast ‘West Cork’ as TV Series, Joining Netflix and Sky Versions
“Chernobyl” producer Sister is adapting the hit Audible original podcast “West Cork” for TV.
Created by Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde, “West Cork” is an investigation into the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Du Plantier, a French film producer, was found near her holiday home around the West Cork town of Schull, a serene region on Ireland’s idyllic southern coast. The case is widely known in Ireland, a dragged-out national fiasco and long source of morbid public fascination.
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This is the third iteration of the du Plantier story in recent months. Sky has “Murder at the Cottage,” directed by Jim Sheridan, in the works, while Lightbox is producing the same story for Netflix.
The Sister adaptation of the true crime smash hit will see chief creative executive Kate Fenske and joint creative director Naomi de Pear executive producing with director of development Alice Tyler developing alongside Sam Bungey, Jennifer Forde, and Audible. UTA negotiated the deal on behalf of Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde, as well as Audible for this project, and represents “West Cork.”
Bungey and Forde lived as part of the community during the course of their investigation. The pair introduce an intricate cast of characters, a provocative prime suspect, and a recovering community who all crave resolution. Not just for themselves but for Sophie Du Plantier and her family.
Upon its release, “West Cork” was the #1 nonfiction best seller on Audible’s Top 10 list for seven weeks straight and remained on the list for 12 consecutive weeks. When it was released on iTunes, it reached #1 in the U.K., Ireland, Canada and New Zealand, #2 in Australia and the Netherlands and reached #3 on the list of top Apple Podcasts in the U.S.
Sister is also in development on “The Jungle Prince,” Ellen Barry’s acclaimed story and podcast for The New York Times, directed by Mira Nair for Amazon; James McBride’s “Deacon King Kong,” which made the New York Times bestseller list in 2020; con-man thriller” The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies” for the BBC; and Helena Merriman’s BBC Radio 4 podcast “Tunnel 29,” which has scored more than five million downloads worldwide; and a Bee Gees biopic directed by Kenneth Branagh.
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