A24 Brings Patrick Radden Keefe’s ‘London Falling’ to Life: The Story of a Teen Who Pretended to Be a Billionaire’s Son
A24 UK has announced plans to adapt Patrick Radden Keefe’s book, London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, into a television series.
The narrative centers on Zac Brettler, a London teenager whose death in 2019 remains shrouded in mystery. In the wake of his passing, his parents uncover that Zac had led a double life, masquerading as the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch. As they delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding his life and death, they find themselves entangled in London’s dark underbelly.
Originally an article in The New Yorker, the book has generated significant interest and is set to publish in five days.
Keefe, recognized as one of America’s leading investigative journalists, is already collaborating with A24 on an adaptation of his work, The Snakehead, described as a fusion of The Godfather and Chinatown. This marks A24’s second project based in London in recent weeks, following their acquisition of Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s We Are The Dead.
A24 UK, led by Piers Wenger and Rose Garnett, secured the rights to London Falling following a competitive bidding process.
The company has expanded its team with the recent hiring of Heartstopper executive producer Patrick Walters. A24 UK is also developing several other television projects, including Apple TV’s The Husbands starring Juno Temple, Channel 4’s soccer drama Major Players from Molly Manning Walker, and Michaela Coel’s forthcoming series First Day on Earth for the BBC and HBO, which recently completed its cast.
