TV series PLAN B, adapted from Deon Meyer’s WIE MET VUUR SPEEL, now available on Showmax

Hollywood star Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) returns to his Afrikaans roots with the crime caper Plan B. 

The story follows ex-military man Ivan Malan (Tim Theron from Heart of the Hunter) and his partner, Paul Schmidt (Vosloo), who plan to rob a gang boss and steal the Flame Maiden, a painting by master artist Vermeer, worth €30 million. 

Meanwhile, Ragel Bergh (Amalia Uys from Die Byl) is swindled out of her inheritance by slick conman Joshua Lansky (Armand Aucamp from Trompoppie and One Piece). When she meets Ivan and Paul, she discovers they all want the same thing…

Filmed in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, the five-part kykNET series is based on the novel Wie Met Vuur Speel by best-selling crime writer Deon Meyer, who was also executive producer on the show. SAFTA winners Jozua Malherbe (Griekwastad, Devil’s Peak) and Tertius Kapp (Gaia) write and direct respectively.

Deon Meyer’s DEVIL’S PEAK goes international with US premiere on Tubi

Following its successful home debut in South Africa on M-Net,  DEVIL’S PEAK – the 5-part miniseries adaptation of Deon Meyer’s prize-winning 2005 novel – has been picked up for further international distribution, with the USA and Canada next to discover police detective Benny Griessel’s world. Exclusive North American rights have been acquired for Tubi’s video-on-demand service, and the series premiered on the platform on 15 January 2024.

On behalf of Tubi, Chief Content Officer Adam Lewinson said: ‘DEVIL’S PEAK is a gripping crime drama that showcases the talent as well as the unique landscape of South Africa. Tubi is committed to providing our diverse audiences with an extensive selection of premium content, and DEVIL’S PEAK promises to captivate U.S. audiences as it has in other parts of the world.’

The series is also available in New Zealand – where it is already streaming on ThreeNow – and will air in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg on BBC First, broadcasting every Sunday at 21:00 (CET) from 21 January 2024.

Produced by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, with backing by BBC Studios and Multichoice Studios, the series stars Hilton Pelser (THE KISSING BOOTH, MOFFIE) as Benny, with Sisanda Henna (who starred in previous Deon Meyer adaptation TRACKERS), Tarryn Wyngaard, Shamilla Miller, and Masasa Mbangeni. The 5 x 1-hour series is directed by Jozua Malherbe (JUSTICE SERVED, GRIEKWASTAD) and written by Matthew Orton (MOON KNIGHT, OPERATION FINALE). International distribution for the show is being handled by BBC Studios.

DEVIL’S PEAK sees the talented but broken Benny Griessel tracking down a righteous vigilante killer whose crimes are capturing the imagination of the city. Meanwhile, grieving father Thobela Mpayipheli seeks justice after the untimely murder of his son. Benny and Thobela are brought into the orbit of a trapped mother, Christine, who is willing to do anything to achieve a better life for herself and her daughter, and the fates of these three characters become inextricably linked. Combining gripping tension with uncompromising authenticity, DEVIL’S PEAK offers an original South African take on the investigative thriller for today.

Originally published in Afrikaans as INFANTA in 2005, DEVIL’S PEAK won the ATKV Prize in South Africa and won the Svenska Oversatta Kriminalroman (Martin Beck) Award and the Readers’ Award from CritiquesLibres.com in October 2010. The book is published in English in the UK and Canada by Hodder & Stoughton, and in the USA by Little, Brown, as well as in many translation markets.

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch. His books are sold in 23 countries, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: 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 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, Number One in all categories.

Praise for the novel DEVIL’S PEAK

‘This is one of those entertainment fictions that teaches one more than any textbook or documentary. This thriller is a fascinating portrayal of one aspect of life in post-apartheid South Africa…winding up the tension to a gripping, shocking climax. Highly recommended.’ – Literary Review

‘Deon Meyer is…one of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around…Meyer paints a wonderful picture of the dark side of the rainbow nation… Against the odds Meyer leaves us with a resolution that is both poignant and supremely satisfying. In no way is this a negative book about the new South Africa. It makes the place come alive with a breathless urgency that recalls the 1940s Los Angeles of Dashiel Hammet or Raymond Chandler: a bit mad, a bit bad, a bit dangerous, but exotically vibrant, a society in adolescence. Think of Meyer in the way that you might have regarded a bottle of Cape red a dozen years ago – dark, strong with an unusual but beguilingly moreish taste. If it can produce popular literature as good as this, the new South Africa has a lot going for it.’ – Peter Millar, The Times

‘It isn’t just about the action. A far, far cry from your basic ‘cops and robbers’ or blow-by-blow ‘good guys v bad guys’, DEVIL’S PEAK is a grown-up and multi-faceted tale, tough and visceral in tone, but also rich in flawed characters and deeply redolent of both urban and rural South Africa; not just the geographic landscape, but the political and social scene as well.’ – Paul Finch

Visit Deon’s website

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RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER renewed for second series

We’re delighted that the much-loved RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER series has been renewed for a second season, with the new eight 45-minute episodes to begin filming in South Africa in April 2024.

Based on Sally Andrew’s hugely popular Tannie Maria series, RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER is centred on Tannie Maria, a food and advice columnist who becomes embroiled in a murder investigation, along with her best friend Jessie. Season two of RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER will take up where the first season left off – following the events of the second book in the series, THE SATANIC MECHANIC.

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER  is a co-production from Acorn TV, Multichoice and Cape Town-based production company Both Worlds Pictures, in co-operation with Global Screen. The series is produced by Both Worlds Pictures’ founder Thierry Cassuto, in collaboration with Paris-based Paradoxa.

The series stars Maria Doyle Kennedy (OUTLANDER), Tony Kgoroge (INVICTUS) and Kylie Fisher, and the first series was selected for the Berlinale ‘Series Markets Selects’ in February 2022, and began broadcast in South Africa on M-Net in March 2022 to fantastic reviews. The series was nominated for three awards at the 2023 South African Film & Television Awards (Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama, Best Achievement in Editing in a TV Drama, and Best Achievement in Directing in a TV Drama), Best Writing for a Television Series at the 2023 WGSA Muse Awards, Best Cinematography at the 2023 Venice TV Awards, and was also shortlisted for a Rose d’Or Award. Acorn TV hold distribution rights to the series for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, while Multichoice holds rights for Africa. Following the pick-up by Japan’s Mystery Channel, the first season has now sold in 94 countries. You can watch the trailer here.

The Tannie Maria book series titles are all bestsellers in South Africa – regularly in the Top 5, with THE MILK TART MURDERS shooting straight to the top of the combined fiction and non-fiction charts on publication in March 2022. It also won the 2023 Nielsen SA Book Award for Fiction.

About Sally Andrew

Sally Andrew divides her time between Muizenberg on the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she lives with her artist partner and various wildlife (including a giant eland and a secretive leopard). Sally has published a number of non-fiction books on adult and environmental education.

Her first novel, RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER: A Tannie Maria Mystery was a Kirkus Best Book of 2015, A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015, The Bookseller Fiction editor’s Choice 2015 and A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month.

Praise for RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER TV show

‘Gentle… the TV series offers the same mix of human drama, gorgeous landscape, local colour and mouth-watering cooking, quietly threaded through with the more serious issues of domestic abuse, racial inequality and the legacies of apartheid… Despite the murders and simmering racial undertones, the show keeps its warm, humorous tone through the quiet, grounded character of Maria, with her empathetic, practical advice – and recipes – in response to the letters she receives.’ – Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times

 ‘A quirky, colourful murder mystery set in the South African outback.’ – Christopher Vourlias, Variety

 ‘Mild comic, romantic and criminal misadventures in a picturesque setting…  a one-of-a-kind heroine.’ – Mile McCahill, Variety

 ‘The highly watchable Maria Doyle Kennedy takes the lead in this very fun and quirky crime series, which is based on the book of the same name by Sally Andrew. Tannie Maria (Doyle Kennedy) is a recipe-creator-turned-advice-columnist who gets caught up in a murder mystery based on one of the letters she receives for her column. Teaming up with an investigative journalist to get to the bottom of the case, the pair clash with local police as they run amok across crime scenes.’ – Jenna Guillaume, Flicks, ‘7 TV shows arriving in September that we’re excited for’

 ‘Though there is some darkness to the series, as well as social seriousness, it’s kept cozy by its very much post-apartheid, classically eccentric community and the sweetness of its characters. There is a bit of flirtation, and unexpressed longing. And there is food – Maria’s effective love advice always includes a recipe – which we see prepared, step by step.’ – Los Angeles Times

 ‘RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER is a delight… There's plenty of humor and wit, and the mystery elements fairly snap along.’ – Janet Mullaney, Telly Visions

Visit Sally’s website

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Deon Meyer’s DEVIL’S PEAK to premiere on M-Net in South Africa

DEVIL’S PEAK, the long-awaited screen debut for Deon Meyer’s troubled detective Benny Griessel, arrives on South African screens this weekend, with the first episode airing on Sunday, 29 October at 20:00 (SAST) on M-Net. Based on Deon Meyer’s prize-winning 2005 novel of revenge, forgiveness and suspense, the 5-part series follows Griessel as he is tasked with tracking down a vigilante killer whose crimes are causing a stir in Cape Town. Meyer’s latest novel LEO, starring Benny Griessel and his detective comrade Vaughn Cupido, is also just out in Afrikaans from Human & Rousseau in South Africa — a double treat for fans!

‘I’m absolutely delighted and so very proud to finally see Benny Griessel and his world come alive on screen, thanks to a brilliant team of local and international talent,’ says Meyer. ‘DEVIL’S PEAK was the first novel in which Benny became a protagonist, and now, it’s his debut on the box. Exciting stuff!’

Produced by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, with backing by BBC Studios and Multichoice Studios, the series stars Hilton Pelser (THE KISSING BOOTH, MOFFIE) as Benny, with Sisanda Henna (who starred in previous Deon Meyer adaptation TRACKERS), Tarryn Wyngaard, Shamilla Miller, and Masasa Mbangeni. The 5 x 1-hour series is directed by Jozua Malherbe (JUSTICE SERVED, GRIEKWASTAD) and written by Matthew Orton (MOON KNIGHT, OPERATION FINALE). International distribution for the show is being handled by BBC Studios.

On behalf of M-Net, Director for Premium Channels Waldimar Pelser said ‘M-Net is proud to bring our viewers a first-class global production with deep local roots. This is a story that could only have played out in South Africa, where the dark underworld of crime pierces – on an almost daily basis – the bubble in which those who can, seek security and comfort. DEVIL’S PEAK shows the extraordinarily beautiful city of Cape Town with and without its mask. It’s the tale of iconic detective Griessel’s struggle against external and internal demons to find justice for others and redemption for himself. It’s also the story of a father willing to do anything to avenge the death of his young son. Not all deaths, the story suggests, are mourned equally. We hope DEVIL’S PEAK will be a story from which it is impossible to look away.’

DEVIL’S PEAK, the first of six novels featuring the detective as central character, sees the talented but broken Benny Griessel tracking down a righteous vigilante killer whose crimes are capturing the imagination of the city. Meanwhile, grieving father Thobela Mpayipheli seeks justice after the untimely murder of his son. Benny and Thobela are brought into the orbit of a trapped mother, Christine, who is willing to do anything to achieve a better life for herself and her daughter, and the fates of these three characters become inextricably linked. Combining gripping tension with uncompromising authenticity, DEVIL’S PEAK offers an original South African take on the investigative thriller for today.

Originally published in Afrikaans as INFANTA in 2005, DEVIL’S PEAK was awarded the ATKV Prize in South Africa and won the Svenska Oversatta Kriminalroman (Martin Beck) Award and the Readers’ Award from CritiquesLibres.com in October 2010.

The latest Benny Griessel thriller, LEO, is published in Afrikaans by Human & Rousseau in South Africa and already storming the charts. Rights are sold to Hodder in the UK and Commonwealth (with Jonathan Ball to publish in South Africa), Bruna in Holland, Aufbau in Germany and Gallimard in France, with more deals pending.

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Cape Town. His books are sold in 23 countries, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: 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 Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation. Several of his books have been filmed, broadcast and streamed and others are in development for film and television now. His latest novel is LEO (Human & Rousseau, 2023).

Praise for the novel DEVIL’S PEAK

‘It isn’t just about the action. A far, far cry from your basic ‘cops and robbers’ or blow-by-blow ‘good guys vs bad guys’, DEVIL’S PEAK is a grown-up and multi-faceted tale, tough and visceral in tone, but also rich in flawed characters and deeply redolent of both urban and rural South Africa; not just the geographic landscape, but the political and social scene as well.’ – Paul Finch

‘This is one of those entertainment fictions that teaches one more than any textbook or documentary. This thriller is a fascinating portrayal of one aspect of life in post-apartheid South Africa…winding up the tension to a gripping, shocking climax. Highly recommended.’ – Literary Review

‘Deon Meyer is…one of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around…Meyer paints a wonderful picture of the dark side of the rainbow nation… Against the odds Meyer leaves us with a resolution that is both poignant and supremely satisfying. In no way is this a negative book about the new South Africa. It makes the place come alive with a breathless urgency that recalls the 1940s Los Angeles of Dashiel Hammet or Raymond Chandler: a bit mad, a bit bad, a bit dangerous, but exotically vibrant, a society in adolescence. Think of Meyer in the way that you might have regarded a bottle of Cape red a dozen years ago – dark, strong with an unusual but beguilingly moreish taste. If it can produce popular literature as good as this, the new South Africa has a lot going for it.’ – Peter Millar, The Times

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

Sam Clafin to star in Greg Latter's adaptation of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, directed by Billie August

As reported by Variety, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, a new series adapted from the classic Alexandre Dumas novel by Greg Latter, is now in production. Directed by legendary Danish Director Billie August, whose 1987 film PELLE THE CONQUEROR won the Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the series will star Sam Clafin (DAISY JONES & THE SIX) in the lead role.

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is the first television series produced entirely by the Mediawan group. Palomar in Italy, best known for its INSPECTOR MONTALBANO series, is lead producer, in collaboration with DEMD Productions in France. The show will be distributed through Mediawan Rights and has been commissioned by broadcasters RAI Fiction in Italy and France Televisions in France.

The series follows Edmond Dantes, played by Clafin, a nineteen-year-old sailor who is wrongfully accused of treason. After years of imprisonment in the Château d’If, a frightening fortress on an island near Marseille, Dantes escapes and assumes the persona of the Count of Monte Cristo. He soon plots his revenge on those who had him imprisoned.

Carlo Degli Esposti, Palomar’s co-founder and veteran producer, told Variety he was confident that “quality of the script” written by Greg Latter, along with “the creative vision of August and performance of Sam Claflin in the title role” would give THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO “a modern edge while remaining faithful to the legacy of Alexandre Dumas’ work.” 

The series is currently filming across France, Italy, and Malta. The five-month shoot will wrap in December.

About Greg Latter

Greg is an award-winning South African writer and director who has worked all over the world. He is the recipient of the Thomas Pringle Award for Creative Writing (1982), the Sithengi Best Screenplay Award (2005), the SAFTA Best Screenplay Award (2007) and the Naledi Best Play Award (2011). In a career spanning 35 years, he has had 22 feature films, 11 television series and 5 plays produced.

Greg has worked with director Billie August several times before, including on his highly praised feature NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON, which starred Jeremy Irons as the lead. Their most recent collaboration, the feature film ME, YOU, went into production in September 2022 and stars Tom Hollander and James Franco.