Netflix Developing Lucy Clarke's 'The Surf House' Thriller
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- Netflix is developing a TV adaptation of Lucy Clarke's thriller The Surf House, set at a cliffside Moroccan surfer sanctuary where a woman fleeing Marrakesh collides with the mystery of a guest who vanished one year earlier.
- Ed Lilly — who directed six episodes of Hulu's Tell Me Lies and three of HBO/BBC's Industry — is attached to direct, with Netflix's U.S. team overseeing development; he's repped by Kaplan/Perrone.
- The North Road Company (recently acquired by Mediawan) and Jessica Rhoades' Pacesetter Productions are producing, with Pacesetter having originated the pitch.
- Amy Israel and Josh Stern are EPing for North Road; Rhoades, Alison Mo Massey and Lilly are EPing for Pacesetter; Netflix declined comment on the project.
- Lucy Clarke has two prior novels adapted by Paramount+ — The Castaways starring Sheridan Smith and No Escape — plus The Hike optioned by Urban Myth Films.
Why it matters: Netflix is tapping Clarke, whose two prior novels already shipped as Paramount+ series, as a built-in audience magnet; pairing her with prestige-drama director Lilly adds critical credibility to the package, and the North Road/Mediawan plus Pacesetter production backbone gives the adaptation unusually strong international financing infrastructure before any formal green light.
