Independent studio Wiip is developing Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ Little White Lies as a television series, Deadline reports.
Barnes’ young adult novel, published in 2018 by Freeform/Disney, follows Sawyer, an 18-year-old auto mechanic who is paid by her estranged grandmother to become a debutante and who discovers shocking secrets about members of the high society to which her family belongs. A critic for Kirkus wrote of the book—which spawned a 2019 sequel, Deadly Little Scandals—“Sawyer’s smart narrative, along with plenty of biting social commentary, will keep readers turning the pages.
Wiip is the studio behind another young adult novel adaptation: the hit Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty, based on Jenny Han’s 2009 book.
Mark Roybal of Wiip told Deadline, “Jennifer has crafted a twisty mystery set in a glittering, glamorous world, all seen through the lens of a young woman searching for identity and the truth about her family. We are delighted to collaborate with this amazing team to bring the contemporary debutante society to the screen.”
Barnes announced news of the adaptation on Instagram, writing, “Exciting news for fans of my debutante series! I’ve been keeping a slew of Hollywood secrets lately, so it’s very exciting to get to share this one!…I am thrilled beyond belief to be working with this amazing team!”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
