READY OR NOT and SCREAM Filmmakers Developing Series Adaptation of THE BUTCHER & THE WREN

Radio Silence, the filmmaking team behind Ready or Not and Scream, is set to develop a series adaption of the crime novel The Butcher & The Wren. The book was written by Alaina Urquhart, who is also the co-host of the hit podcast Morbid.

The Butcher and the Wren is set in the Louisiana bayou, and it centers around forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller. The story explores the "dueling perspectives of a notorious serial killer and the medical examiner following his trail of victims, leveraging her encyclopedic knowledge of historical crimes to try to stop him as he gets more brazen by the day.”

Urquhart said in a statement: “The opportunity to work with Zando and introduce The Butcher and The Wren to readers was already a dream. That the book is an international bestseller has rendered me speechless. And now, Jeremy and Wren’s story is being adapted for the screen. I couldn’t have asked for better partners than the amazing team at Sister. And I’ve been such a fan of both Jennifer Yale and the Radio Silence team for a long time–from Jennifer Yale’s brilliant writing on Dexter to Radio Silence’s Scream relaunch, their work speaks for itself. The Butcher and The Wren could not be in better hands. I can’t wait to see their dark, twisted vision come to life.”

Chernobyl producer Sister is adapting the book as a series with Dexter and See exec producer Jennifer Yale set to serve as showrunner and Radio Silence trio Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella. Yale, Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett, Chad Villella will exec produce.

Here’s the full description from the book:

Something dark is lurking in the Louisiana bayou: a methodical killer with a penchant for medical experimentation is hard at work completing his most harrowing crime yet, taunting the authorities who desperately try to catch up.

But forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller is the best there is. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of historical crimes, and years of experience working in the Medical Examiner's office, she's never encountered a case she couldn't solve. Until now. Case after case is piling up on Wren's examination table, and soon she is sucked into an all-consuming cat-and-mouse chase with a brutal murderer getting more brazen by the day.

An addictive read with straight-from-the-morgue details only an autopsy technician could provide, The Butcher and the Wren promises to ensnare all who enter.