McMafia in development at Cuba Pictures
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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell producers Cuba Pictures are in development with McMafia, a fast-paced international crime drama for BBC One from Hossein Amini and James Watkins.
The story, which is inspired by Misha Glenny's 2008 book of the same name, is set within one Russian family living in exile in London, and takes a look at the murky and violent world of organised crime.
Amini (Our Kind of Traitor, the Two Faces of January) and Watkins (Bastille Day and the Woman in Black as director) are joined by a writing team including David Farr, Peter harness and Laurence Coriat on the epic series, which will take in filming locations around the world as well as the UK.
Amini said of the project: "I have always been a fan of mob sagas but Misha Glenny's McMafia is the first book I've read that captures the complexity and global reach of organized crime in the 21st century. The lines between gangsters, bankers, politicians and spies has been blurred and the whole world has become a battlefield in this global gang war. I am thrilled to be working with such terrific writers on a series that I hope will be epic, authentic and also intimate in the best traditions of the genre."
Watkins said: "The annual turnover of transnational organised crime is estimated at $870 billion. Misha Glenny's brilliant book casts fascinating light on that huge hidden world and shows how terrifyingly close it is to us all. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with such brilliant writers to bring that captivating underworld to BBC One."
The executive producers are Cuba Pictures' Nick Marston and Dixie Linder plus Matthew Read for the BBC.
It's early days on this one, with shooting not likely to get underway until at least halfway through next year, but subscribers to PI should follow the project from 22 October to see names and dates confirmed over the coming months.
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