Sky to Adapt 'Rivers of London' as a TV Series
Rivers of London Cover Art
Del Ray
We are nearly 15 years into TV's fantasy revolution, kicked off in 2011 by Game of Thrones. In that time, TV production studios scooped up rights left and right for all the major fantasy series, from the BBC making His Dark Materials to Starz's Outlander. (Heck, even *MTV* made a Shannara series.) At this point, the new shows are starting to feel derivative, whether it's Dune Prophecy, House of the Dragon, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, or HBO remaking Harry Potter. However, a few series are still coming down the pipeline, like Netflix's short-lived Shadow & Bone, with something new to offer, like Sky's latest project, Rivers of London.
Rivers of London (initially published in the U.S. under the title Midnight Riot) is a contemporary urban fantasy that combines magic with one of the U.K.'s favorite genres, the police procedural. The series, which currently stands at ten full-length novels (including the most recent installment, 2024's The Masquerades of Spring), ten graphic novels, and four novellas, begins with the adventures of PC Peter Grant, an officer at the London Metropolitan Police, who finds himself working on a case where the witness is a ghost. That leads him to be recruited to London's small but busy supernatural division, solving crimes committed by otherworldly means.
British author Ben Aaronovitch writes the series, and illustrator Andrew Cartmel teams up with him for the graphic novels. The novels and the graphic novels have been massive in the U.K., with 2022's Amongst Our Weapons and the most recent The Masquerades of Spring debuting at Number 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller list.
Here's the series current synopsis:
Rivers of London is known as Midnight Riot in the U.S. and follows a young officer in London’s Met Police, Peter Grant. After working on a murder case with a witness who happens to be a ghost, he is signed up to a unit on the force dedicated to magic and the supernatural. Subsequent cases take in gods and goddesses, magic and many forms of supernatural activity.
No actors are attached to the project yet, but Sky is working first on getting an American co-producer on board to help alleviate the costs of a big-budget series. According to Deadline, Sky is currently working on a deal. However, details have yet to be finalized, and any casting announcements will most likely come with the announcement of which American production studio has signed on. (It is notable that Sky did not simply turn to Peacock, its usual partner via parent company Comcast; perhaps a sign of how poorly the British series on their platform did.)
Although he is an executive producer, Aaronovitch (whose TV credits include Doctor Who) will not adapt his work. Instead, Sky assembled a U.S.-style writers room, with John Jackson (The Gentleman) as the lead writer, with Tobi King Bakare (I May Destroy You), Kara Smith (Lockwood & Co), Joshua St Johnson (Grantchester), Tolula Dada (Gangs of London), and Robin French (Sanditon). Directors are expected to be announced in due course. Pure Fiction, Sky Studios, and See-Saw Films are all on board as production partners.
Rivers of London is currently working on finalizing an American partner for the series; once that has been firmed up, a filming and release window is expected to be set.
