If We Were Villains Gets TV Treatment
The creators of HBO Max's *Genera+ion* are developing a television adaptation of M.L. Rio's acclaimed literary thriller *If We Were Villains*. The series, produced with Blink49 Studios, will bring the novel's Shakespearean drama and campus intrigue to the screen, marking another win for book-to-TV adaptations.
M.L. Rio's 2017 debut novel is a staple of the "dark academia" subgenre, often compared to Donna Tartt's *The Secret History*. The story follows seven aspiring Shakespearean actors at an elite arts conservatory whose intense friendships and rivalries lead to a real-life tragedy. The narrative is framed as a confession a decade after the main character, Oliver Marks, was jailed for a murder he may not have committed. The novel has found a significant audience, particularly on TikTok, where it has been a popular "Book Club pick." Since its release, the book has sold more than 180,000 copies in English and has been translated into over a dozen languages. An illustrated edition of the novel was published in 2023 to cater to its growing fanbase. The adaptation is being helmed by the father-daughter duo Daniel and Zelda Barnz, who previously created the HBO Max series *Genera+ion*. Their production company is called We're Not Brothers Productions. Zelda Barnz was one of the youngest showrunners in television history when she created *Genera+ion* at 18, a show that drew from her own experiences and aimed to portray authentic queer joy. Blink49 Studios, the production company partnering on the series, has a diverse slate of scripted and unscripted content. Their recent projects include the crime drama *Wild Cards* for The CW, the sitcom *The Trades* for Crave, and the reality series *Beast Games* for Prime Video. The studio was founded in 2021 by former Entertainment One TV chief John Morayniss.
