Paramount+ links with Buccaneer to adapt crime thriller ‘The Crow Girl’

‘The Crow Girl’ has commenced filming in Bristol (Source: Buccaneer Media/Paramount/Joss Barratt)

Paramount+ UK & Ireland has ordered The Crow Girl, a new original crime thriller series based on the novel trilogy by Erik Axl Sund.

Produced by Irvine Welsh’s Crime and Marcella team Buccaneer, the 6 x 60-minute psychological thriller begins with the discovery of a teenage boy’s body discarded in plain sight. Determined to find who is responsible, DCI Jeanette Kilburn (Eve Myles) joins forces with psychotherapist Sophia Craven (Katherine Kelly) to hunt the killer despite opposition from her superiors including confidant DI Lou Stanley (Dougray Scott).

While Paramount+ is pushing ahead with UK commissions such as The Crow Girl and last month’s order for Curfew, it comes just a few weeks after the streamer pulled a slew of international originals – including two Buccaneer shows, The Doll Factory and The Burning Girls.

Other titles, such as fellow UK original The Killing Kind and Australian drama One Night, also disappeared from Paramount+ as the company switches to a new strategy of producing “fewer local, international originals” in favour of “Hollywood hits”.

Tony Wood and Richard Tulk-Hart are executive producing The Crow Girl for Buccaneer along with Milly Thomas who adapted the series for the screen. Charles Martin and Rebecca Rycroft are both directors of the series with Andy Mosse serving as producer. ITV Studios will distribute The Crow Girl internationally.

Erik Axl Sund, meanwhile, is the pen name of Swedish author duo Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist, with The Crow Girl novel forming the first part of a trilogy including The Hunger Fire and The Pythia’s Instructions.

The Crow Girl was commissioned by Sebastian Cardwell, deputy chief content officer, UK, and Paul Testar for Paramount+.

Screenwriter Milly Thomas said: “I’ve been aching to dive into this story ever since I got my paws on the strange, twisty beast of a novel and to be making this show alongside the fierce talents of Paramount+ and Buccaneer is a real joy”