EXCLUSIVE: Former Universal Television CEO Brittany A. Little and former Amazon Studios CEO Larissa Bell have signed a first-look deal for their newly formed production company, Little Bell Productions, and launched their first project.
Little Bell Productions, which the two founded last year, has signed a deal with Universal TV to adapt Kimberly Belle’s thriller novel The Parisian Widow as a series.
The Parisian Widow is about a dream vacation that turns deadly when a married couple in Paris are haunted by secrets from the past. The couple will serve as executive producers along with Talitha Watkins, president of ColorCreative, the production and management company they founded with Issa Rae and Deniese Davis. Belle will serve as co-producer.
The book, published by Park Row in June, begins with Stella meeting Adam. She thought she had finally found a nice, normal guy – a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jet-setting lifestyle with him. But her safe world falls apart when Adam disappears after an explosion in the town square. As the French police investigate, it turns out that Adam was on their radar as a dealer in rare and stolen antiques with a long list of criminal clients. Stella is devastated by this news and determined not to leave Paris until she knows the full story. Was Adam a random victim or the target of the explosion? And why is someone following her through the streets of Paris?
Little was previously VP, Drama Development at Universal TV, where she worked on series such as Bel-Air, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, The Equalizer And This is the FBI. She previously worked at Fox and A&E. Bell was previously a development executive at Amazon Studios, where she produced series such as Boots Riley’s I am a virgin And Swarm. Previously, she worked at Showtime, Universal Television and NBC.
“We are excited to begin this next chapter of our careers with Universal Television, a place where we feel at home,” said Little and Bell. “As individuals, we have always been driven by a mission and are excited to join forces to bring to life stories that celebrate the universal in the unique and speak to common human nature.” The Parisian Widow does just that with the excitement and romance that, as we have all recently seen, can only be found in the City of Light.”
Erin Underhill, President of Universal Television, added: “We are thrilled to be working with the Little Bell team again. Brittany and Larissa’s creative instincts, business acumen and passion make them ideal partners for Universal Television.” The Parisian Widow is a gripping and thrilling cat-and-mouse thriller and a perfect example of the exciting stories that will emerge from this partnership.”
Kimberly Belle said: “I am thrilled to be working with the team at Little Bell and ColorCreative along with Universal Television to The Parisian Widow series. Stella is an inventive and complex character with a few surprises in store and I’m sure she’s in excellent hands. Europe is my temporary home, but I’ve been waiting for the right story to take the action abroad. The Paris Widow was just the thing – an exciting, female-driven storyline big enough to share the stage with a city as glamorous and picturesque as Paris.”
Belle, the author of books such as The marriage lie, is represented by Nikki Terpilowski at Holloway Literary Management.
