MGM Lands TV Rights To Daniel Silva Spy Novels

MGM Television has acquired the adaptation rights to award-winning, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva’s collection of spy novels based around secret agent Gabriel Allon, and will develop them into a major television series. The rights were secured by Jonathan Glickman, MGM’s president, Motion Picture Group, in a highly competitive bidding situation and was jointly announced today by Glickman and Steve Stark, MGM’s President, Television Production and Development.

Silva and his wife Jamie Gangel will serve as executive producers. Stark and Lindsay Sloane, MGM’s EVP, Television Production and Development will oversee production on behalf of the studio. 

According to MGM, Silva has been called his generation’s finest writer of international intrigue and one of the greatest American spy novelists ever.  All of his novels have been New York Times bestsellers, with eight of them debuting at No. 1. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and are published around the world by Penguin Random House and most recently HarperCollins.

Filled with suspense, humor and heart-stopping action, the critically acclaimed series features Gabriel Allon, an art restorer, spy and assassin described as one of the most memorable and compelling characters in contemporary fiction. Last summer, Silva’s The Black Widow was a No. 1 bestseller, his new book, House of Spies, will be published on July 11.

The series comes to MGM Television, led by Mark Burnett, MGM’s president, Television Group and Digital. The studio currently has a No. 1 unscripted show on network TV three nights a week (The Voice, Survivor, Shark Tank) and a slate of scripted series including the drama The Handmaid’s Tale, which was the most-viewed series debut on Hulu ever and the Emmy- and Peabody-award winning Fargo on FX.