Bestselling British author Jeffrey Archer plans to adapt his works for film and television in foreign-language territories, initially focusing on audiences in India, the rest of Asia and the Middle East.
Millionaire author, known for such stories as Kane and Abel – as recently announced, a trilogy created in collaboration with Eleven and Sony Television International – and The Clifton ChroniclesHe sold over 275 million copies of his books worldwide and topped the charts Sunday times bestseller list 27 times.
On Wednesday, Jeffery Archer Co. and London-based Dream Bay Entertainment (DBE), co-founded in 2023 by former Amazon executive Thomas Drachkovitch, announced they have partnered to bring Archer’s stories to the screen.
Jason Hafford, a former agent in CAA’s global television division, was recently unveiled as co-founder and head of DBE’s board of directors.
Joining forces is “stimulating” because India and the Middle East are “two of the fastest-growing entertainment markets in the world,” Drachkovitch said. “Our goal is to leverage local partnerships and expertise that honor Jeffrey’s work, while ensuring these stories are culturally relevant and authentically brought to the highest standard.”
After publishing a hit song Kane and Abel, Archer wrote First among equalsthe story of a quartet of British parliamentarians running for prime minister who drew on their own political experiences.
Caught in a libel case against the UK Daily Star tabloid in 1987. Archer was charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice 13 years after the trial and sentenced to four years in prison, of which two years. Later he wrote Prison diariesa series of three books following his imprisonment.
He had previously accused India’s billion-dollar Bollywood industry of plagiarism when asked how his books could be translated into Hollywood films in 2015. Archer said in an interview on Indian television DNA newspaper in 2015: “Well, forget about Hollywood, just look at your Bollywood! This gang of thieves stole several of my books without any “with your permission.”
