Lifetime is doubling down on the work of V.C. Andrews.
The cabler announced Wednesday that it had acquired rights to the author’s entire library of best-selling novels.
News of the landmark deal broke during Lifetime’s turn at the Television Critics Association, where Lifetime also announced some exciting projects based on the late author’s work.
On an exciting note, Lifetime confirmed that it would develop Andrews’ five-part Cutler series for the screen.
Fans of the novels have long asked for a book-to-screen adaptation, and they’re finally getting their wish.
The book series followed Dawn Longchamp, whose world is blown to smithereens when her mother dies.
As for Flowers in The Attic: The Origin, the highly-anticipated TV series will bow on the linear cable network in the summer.
The project’s existence was revealed in August.
It will star Jemima Rooper (Gold Digger) and Max Irons (Condor) as Olivia Winfield and Malcolm Foxworth, parents to Corrine Foxworth and grandparents to Cathy and Chris Dollanganger.
The cast also includes Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) as Malcolm’s illustrious father, Garland, Harry Hamlin (Mad Men) as Olivia’s beloved father, and Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries) as John Amos, Olivia’s cousin whose revelations change her life forever, and Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is the New Black) as Mrs. Steiner, Malcolm’s loyal house manager and head of the Foxworth Hall staff.
Flowers in the Attic: The Origin peels back the curtain to reveal the twisted origins and dark secrets of the Foxworth family.
The movie events Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind were cable’s top two movies of 2014 with women, while Flowers in the Attic has reached over 30.1M2 total viewers and Petals on the Wind seen by 23.4M3 total viewers.
Flowers in the Attic: The Origin tells the story of the headstrong and determined Olivia Winfield (Rooper), who is working alongside her beloved father (Hamlin), when she finds herself unexpectedly wooed by one of the nation’s most eligible bachelors, Malcolm Foxworth (Irons).
After a whirlwind romance, Olivia finds herself as the mistress of the imposing Foxworth Hall, where she soon discovers that the fairytale life she expected has quickly become a nightmare.
Under Malcolm’s debonair exterior lies a dark heart, and a twisted evil lurks inside Foxworth Hall that will threaten Olivia’s happiness and that of her children.
Her attempts to keep them all safe ultimately push Olivia to become to most terrifying version of herself, leading to her inevitable—and notorious—decision to lock her grandchildren in the attic…
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.