Rosalind Franklin Biopic TV Series From Great-Niece — SkimNews
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- Secret of Life, a TV series about Rosalind Franklin, is being written by her great-niece Jessica Franklin and directed by Valerie Weiss (Outer Banks), produced by Elizabeth Bay Productions.
- Rosalind Franklin died at 37 in 1958; her structural virology work later facilitated Covid-19 vaccine development, and in 2023 scientists concluded she was an equal player in DNA discovery alongside Watson and Crick.
- The TV series is distinct from the Tom Hooper-directed movie starring Natalie Portman, itself adapted from Anna Ziegler's play Photograph 51, in which Nicole Kidman portrayed Franklin on stage.
- Jessica Franklin called adapting her great-aunt's life "the greatest challenge and the greatest honour of my life," while Weiss said Franklin "has been my hero since I first studied biology."
- Casting is led by Shakyra Dowling — who cast Kidman in Photograph 51 — with WestEnd Films handling international sales at MIPCOM Cannes.
- Elizabeth Bay Productions, the indie behind Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life and run by DDA founder Dennis Davidson and Grant Hill (Matrix), is producing the series.
Why it matters: The series positions Jessica Franklin as a family-side creative gatekeeper of her great-aunt's legacy, while running in parallel — not competition — with the Tom Hooper/Natalie Portman film adaptation. With WestEnd Films launching sales at MIPCOM Cannes, the project moves from announcement toward concrete international distribution deals at a major global TV market.
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