Prime Video Orders Series ‘We Were Liars’ Adaptation From Julie Plec & Carina Adly MacKenzie
Prime Video has ordered an adaptation of the E. Lockhart’s New York Times best-selling novel ‘We Were Liars‘ from ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Julie Plec and ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ creator Carina Adly MacKenzie.
‘We Were Liars’ is a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. The drama follows Cadence Sinclair Eastman, a teen from a wealthy, beautiful, and distinguished family. However, whilst they present as prim, proper and respectable, they are liars… Set on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts, the story revolves around a mysterious tragedy which befell Cadence two years ago, leaving her with amnesia about the events. Now, she has returned to the island, determined to discover what happened to her last time she was there.
“E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars is a gripping story centred on family, love, secrets, and lies that is perfect for our Prime Video audience,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon and MGM Studios. “Lockhart, Julie Plec, and Carina Adly MacKenzie are each brilliant at creating complex characters and we’re looking forward to teaming up with these incredible storytellers, along with Universal Television, to bring this show to life.”
The young adult novel has sold nearly 3 million copies worldwide and has spent many weeks on the New York Times best-seller list since its release, including several at No. 1.
“We’ve been obsessed with this beloved story for years and for a while it seemed like it might be the one that got away from us. But finally, we are elated to be bringing it to life with everyone at Prime Video and UTV, who are just as passionate about this twisty tale as we are,” add writers and executive producers Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie. “We‘re also incredibly grateful that the author has joined our creative team behind the scenes. As die-hard book fans ourselves, we have one message to the many loyal readers out there: if anyone asks you how it ends… just lie.”
Plec is probably best known for her other teen book adaptations, most notably ‘The Vampire Diaries’ franchise, including the spin-off series ‘The Originals’ and ‘Legacies’. More recently she was behind the adaptation of ‘Vampire Academy’ for Peacock, and is also developing political drama ‘The Girls on the Bus’ for HBO Max starring Melissa Benoist.
MacKenzie is also no stranger to teen drama, having developed ‘Roswell, New Mexico’, the recent adaptation of Melinda Metz’ ‘Roswell High’ books, which Plec exec produced. She also worked on ‘The Originals’ as a writer and producer.
The series is written and executive produced by Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie with Plec writing the first episode and MacKenzie writing the second. Also executive producing are Emily Cummins (‘The Endgame’, ‘Vampire Academy’) for My So-Called Company and the novel’s author, E. Lockhart. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Amazon Studios are behind the project. The novel is published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.
“This haunting psychological mystery from E. Lockhart has everything – first love, bougie family drama, and plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat!” said Erin Underhill, president, Universal Television. “With Julie and Carina penning the series, the project couldn’t be in better hands. We’re excited to partner with Prime Video and Amazon Studios to bring We Were Liars to audiences all over the world.”
‘We Were Liars‘ does not yet have a premiere date, but will air on Prime Video worldwide. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
