Deon Meyer’s record-breaking HEART OF THE HUNTER shoots to the top of the Netflix Charts

April 5, 2024 Intern BlakeFriedmann

HEART OF THE HUNTER, the first feature-length adaptation of one of Deon Meyer’s bestselling novels, has proven an instant worldwide success on its Netflix debut, becoming the first ever African film to reach the summit of the Global Top 10 for English language films. The film was viewed over 11 million times in the two days following its premiere, and entered the top ten in 75 countries for the week ending the 31st of March. Deon adapted the screenplay himself from his novel, which follows a retired assassin in post-apartheid South Africa who is pulled back into action when his friend uncovers a dangerous conspiracy at the heart of n government.

The film stars Bonko Khoza (THE WOMAN KING) as Zuko Khumalo, alongside a stellar cast of fellow South African actors, including Connie Ferguson (GENERATIONS), Masasa Mbangeni, Tim Theron, Deon Coetzee, Peter Butler, Connie Chiume and Meyer-adaptation regular Sisanda Henna (DEVIL’S PEAK, TRACKERS). The director is Mandla Dube (SILVERTON SIEGE), and Deon co-wrote the screenplay with Willem Grobler; the film is a Scene23 production for Netflix.

Deon’s book HEART OF THE HUNTER was first published in Afrikaans in 2002 (as PROTEUS) and has since been translated into 14 different languages worldwide. It is published in South Africa in Afrikaans by Human & Rousseau and translated into English by K.L. Seegers: in the UK it is published by Hodder & Stoughton, and in the US and Canada by Grove Atlantic. It was selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s 10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004, longlisted for the IMPAC Literary Award 2005 (now the Dublin Literary Award) and won the Deutsche Krimi Preis, International Category, 2006.

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In the Netflix Original film adaptation, Zuko Khumalo is an unassuming family man with a deadly past – but his tranquil world is abruptly turned upside down when an old colleague calls on him to honour an oath he made and save the country from venal political interests. Though he resists being pulled back into his previous life, it becomes clear that events already pose a deadly threat to his domestic ambitions and the peaceful family life he holds so dear. HEART OF THE HUNTER is a tale of one man’s struggle for survival against a corrupt government, a group of bloodthirsty killers and, most of all, against his past.

In other news, Deon has also been honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) arts festival, receiving the KKNK Afrikaans Onbeperk Prize for Literary Contribution. Deon’s first full-length stage musical, Roem: ’n Musiekverhaal, also premiered at the festival, to a series of standing ovations. ROEM, written by Deon in Afrikaans alongside musical director Coenie de Villiers, starred Anrich Herbst, Eldon van der Merwe, Daneel van der Walt and Nelandi Boshoff, and was directed by Nicole Holm.

Deon’s latest novel, LEO, a longstanding Number One in Afrikaans in South Africa will be published by Hodder in the UK and Grove Atlantic in the US later this year.

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch, South Africa, but also spends time with family in Italy and in France where he was awarded France’s highest arts honour, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) in 2021. He writes in Afrikaans and his South African publisher Human & Rousseau has sold close to 800,000 Afrikaans copies of his novels. Rights in his titles are sold in 30 territories and 28 languages, and many of his books have been optioned for film. Among his awards are the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, the Martin Beck Award in Sweden and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was longlisted for the 2023 CWA International Dagger (for Crime Fiction in Translation). His latest novel LEO, a new Benny Griessel thriller, enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists.

Praise for the film HEART OF THE HUNTER

‘HEART OF THE HUNTER is outshining a lot of recent entries in the action genre… this movie has its own flavor and a great action hero at the heart of the story… This movie repackages everything that other action films did before it while offering some fresh touches with its hero and setting. In other words, it’s a great choice for your next movie night when you’re looking for some action.’ – Blair Marnell, Digital Trends

‘Deon Meyer and Willem Grobler’s writing in HEART OF THE HUNTER tackles everything from the way apartheid eroded South Africa to how capitalism is doing the same to the country in the present day… it’s refreshing to see a film reckoning with its own past as well as the citizens who live in ivory towers… I was blown away by the action... The contact, the reactions, and the sound design in all the hand-to-hand fight sequences are simply perfect… I couldn’t help but applaud it. And standing in stark contrast to these exciting set pieces are the emotional, bloody, and heavy personal altercations between Tiger and Zuko. There is a real weight to their conflict, even though they don’t know a lot about each other, and that’s what makes the finale so impactful. The performances from the entire cast of HEART OF THE HUNTER are exquisite… As a fan of action films in general, I am impressed. So, I’ll recommend it to the regulars of the school of action cinema. In addition to that, I hope this becomes the gateway to mainstream and genre-specific South African films.’ – Pramit Chatterjee, DMT

Praise for the novel HEART OF THE HUNTER

‘Deon Meyer hooked me with this one right from the start. HEART OF THE HUNTER is a thriller with some weight attached and that is a rare find.’ – Michael Connelly

‘A pacy, wised-up, post-apartheid thriller; a fabulously page-turning book.' – Barbara Trapido

‘A rip-roaring adventure, a portrait of spy-world duplicity and a look at South Africa's post-apartheid politics.’ – Patrick Anderson, Washington Post

‘A thriller good enough to nip at the heels of le Carré… Wonderful setting; rich, colourful cast, headed by a valiant/vulnerable protagonist who makes empathy easy.’ – Kirkus, Starred Review

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer should be on everyone's reading list.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer is the monarch of South African crime novelists.’ – Barry Forshaw, Financial Times

‘Unquestionably the supremo of South African crime-writing fiction’ – Peter James

‘Deon Meyer is not just South Africa’s greatest crime writer, he’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘Deon Meyer is good at sketching a realistic country, people we recognise and grow accustomed to, and telling a darn good yarn.’ – Diane De Beer, The Star

‘Deon Meyer is one of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

Deon Meyer’s THE HEART OF THE HUNTER to launch worldwide as a Netflix Original on 29 March 2024

March 6, 2024 Intern BlakeFriedmann

Crime fiction powerhouse Deon Meyer has continued his supreme run of form, with his first feature film adaptation, HEART OF THE HUNTER, set for release as a Netflix Original later this month (29 March 2024). Following on from television and streaming success with TRACKERS and last year’s M-Net series DEVIL’S PEAK, Deon adapted the screenplay himself from his own hit novel, set in post-apartheid South Africa, following one man's mission to save his family as it escalates into a fight to stop a corrupt politician from taking the presidential seat.

Hunter or hunted? Heart Of The Hunter coming to Netflix 29 March! pic.twitter.com/l97Oh2P2sZ
— NetflixSA (@NetflixSA) February 29, 2024

Zuko Khumalo, is an unassuming family man with a deadly past – but his tranquil world is abruptly turned upside down when an old colleague calls on him to honour an oath he made and save the country from venal political interests. Though he resists being pulled back into his previous life, it becomes clear that it poses a deadly threat to his domestic ambitions and the peaceful family life he holds so dear. HEART OF THE HUNTER is a tale of one man’s struggle for survival against a corrupt government, a group of bloodthirsty killers and, most of all, against his past.

We are also delighted to announce that the original Afrikaans edition of Deon’s latest novel LEO – despite being only being on sale since October – has been crowned the top-selling fiction title of 2023 in South Africa, and third bestselling book overall across all genres. The latest investigation for Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido dominated the charts on publication, achieving a colossal ten week run at the top of the overall bestseller list, as well as fifteen atop the fiction lists and longer runs still on the South African writers’ and Afrikaans language chart respectively, taking the book soaring past 30,000 copies in its home country.

LEO marked the return of Meyer’s iconic detectives Benny Griessel – now also the star of M-Net series DEVIL’S PEAK – and his police detective partner Vaughn Cupido, following on from 2020’s DONKERDRIF (English title: THE DARK FLOOD), which won the Adult Fiction prize at the 2021 SA Book Awards, and was longlisted for the prestigious CWA International Dagger in the UK – Deon’s third shortlisting for the prize. LEO is published in South Africa by Human & Rousseau; the English translation, by K. L. Seegers, will be out with Hodder in the UK and Grove Atlantic in North America in September 2024. The Dutch edition is out this month.

About Deon Meyer

Praise for the novel HEART OF THE HUNTER

‘Deon Meyer hooked me with this one right from the start. HEART OF THE HUNTER is a thriller with some weight attached and that is a rare find.’ – Michael Connelly

‘A pacy, wised-up, post-apartheid thriller; a fabulously page-turning book.' – Barbara Trapido

‘A rip-roaring adventure, a portrait of spy-world duplicity and a look at South Africa's post-apartheid politics.’ – Patrick Anderson, Washington Post

Praise for LEO

‘When a new Deon Meyer lands on the shelves, I feel like W.H. Auden: “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone / Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone.” All 490 pages of such a book have to be devoured in one sitting. Keep it for the holidays, or for a weekend when you have nothing planned… You’ll be on the edge of your seat, chewing your nails… Meyer is the best, if you ask me... Buy LEO and take a day or two off work.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Vrye Weekblad

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer should be on everyone's reading list.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer is the monarch of South African crime novelists.’ – Barry Forshaw, Financial Times

‘Unquestionably the supremo of South African crime-writing fiction’ – Peter James

‘Deon Meyer is not just South Africa’s greatest crime writer, he’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘Deon Meyer is good at sketching a realistic country, people we recognise and grow accustomed to, and telling a darn good yarn.’ – Diane De Beer, The Star

‘Deon Meyer is one of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

BFLA Open Week: Media Rights - The Inside Scoop

March 8, 2023 Intern BlakeFriedmann

Written by Anna Myrmus

How our work is split between IP and screenwriters

The Media Department really serves two roles at Blake Friedmann: primary agenting for our media clients and facilitating Book to Film/TV options for the wider agency’s book clients.

On the media side, that means finding screenwriting talent, developing that talent, and pitching and submitting scripts to producers, before hopefully negotiating deals based on those scripts.

On the Book to Film side, since we’re not the primary agents, we don’t develop the material with authors (we leave that to the Book Department!) but we actively submit books to producers, based on what we’re hearing from them in meetings. So, in a way, we do assess material, but only for its Book-to-Film potential. We then negotiate the option agreements for Film and TV, to make sure our authors are getting the best deal possible.

Finding screenwriters

Sourcing screenwriters happens in many ways. The first is through the submissions we receive to our media submissions email. We also find writers by regularly attending different events like showcases, fringe theatre nights, and networking drinks. And on top of that, we try and keep on top of certain screenwriting competitions like the BBC Writers room to find emerging talent.

When it comes to submissions, we always ask for a CV and cover letter as well as a script. The CV is a way of finding out the work a writer has done so far, including any credits they might already have. I always like when the CV includes a list of their scripts, even if they’re uncredited, so we know which projects we could work on with them initially (if we were to like their sample script). The cover letter is a chance for us to hear more about a writer’s background and the kind of stories they want to write, and why they think we could be the agents for them.

When we read a script that we love from a writer, we’ll ask them for other samples, so we can get a sense of their style. Then, if we feel passionately about their work overall, we’ll arrange to meet to talk through our feedback, plus to hear about their ambitions for their writing, i.e., the kind of show or films they would like to write for and why. It’s also always useful to find out which producers they may already have spoken to or submitted to, so that if we do take them on, we know who we could build further relationships with, and who not to double submit to!

If that all goes well and we take on a writer, the first step is developing the script that we’ll send out to producers.

Developing writers’ scripts

When we submit a TV pilot to a producer, we usually submit it with a pitch document, which gives the producer the writer’s vision for the series. The pitch document outlines the story, the main characters, the first series’ arc, why it’s relevant now, why the writer should be the one to write it, plus any other pertinent information. So, when we develop a project with a screenwriter, we are developing not only the pilot script but the pitch document. This is because often a pilot script can be amazing, but if the story doesn’t have the legs to span a whole series, it’s hard to get producers interested. In fact, when pitching for TV, the idea is often just as important as the sample.

Developing a script and its pitch document usually involves a few rounds of notes, depending on how structural the changes needed are. The more the overall story needs work, the more work will need to be done. For this reason, we usually prefer to work with a writer on a pitch before they write the pilot, so that we can help craft the outline, and because often if we know an idea will be a very hard sell, it’s best we guide them before they write the whole pilot.

Then once a script and pitch document are ready, we’ll submit them, along with our own submission letter, to the producers who we know could be interested.

Assessing IP

Being active on books means submitting them to producers who we know are interested in that kind of IP. When we’ve read a Blake Friedmann book that we want to be active on, we craft a submission letter which we hope will get the producer to want to read the book. The letter usually starts with some information about the writer (for example, if they’ve written other books, we’ll talk about the success they’ve had and perhaps where they’ve been optioned for film and TV). Then we tease the plot and make comparisons to recent TV series or Film so the producers know where the book could fit on their development slate.

Then, based on the relationships we’ve built with producers, and the recent meetings we’ve been having, we submit this letter via email to those whose taste we think aligns with the book.

However, just because we’re not active on a book doesn’t mean it can’t be optioned. There are often wonderful books which we’ve loved but which are less commercial in terms of Film and TV. With these books, we tend to keep them in mind in meetings, and pitch them on an ad hoc basis, especially if a producer mentions the genre or subject matter to us. And indeed, with those books often an option deal happens when a very passionate producer comes forward, independent of our submissions. So not submitting a book doesn’t mean it won’t get optioned.

Meeting producers

On top of submitting new books and scripts, we also keep all that material in mind when meeting with producers. Having both the Book to Film and screenwriting sides to our work means that we get to wear both hats in these meetings and pitch a whole range of material, depending on what the producer tells us.

Meeting producers is really for us to find out what different production companies are looking for, so we know what to submit where, and for us to build relationships in the industry which will help our writers going forward.

We’re constantly setting up meeting with producers, whether that’s because they’ve sent us a new brief, we have new material to catch them up on, or because we’re both attending events like Content London or Series Mania.