EXCLUSIVE: Gravity Squared Entertainment is to represent the library of late British author Barbara Cartland.
To kick off the deal with Barbara Cartland Productions, Gravity Squared has attached producer Mark Foligno (The King’s Speech) and director Matt Lipsey (Ted Lasso) to adapt “a curated selection” of ‘the Queen of Romance’s novels for screen.
Cartland, a British Dame, began her career in the 1920s and had her first book published age 22. She went on to write over 700 books and sold over a billion copies, making her among the most popular British authors of all-time. She wrote a world record 23 books in a year in 1976, a record that stood for nearly two decades.
Over the years, many of Cartland’s books have been remade for TV or film. These include Hazard of Hearts, whose 1987 film adaptation starred Helena Bonham Carter; Cupid Rides Pillion, which became 1989 feature The Lady and the Highwayman starring a young Hugh Grant; A Ghost in Monte Carlo, which became a 1990 movie for NBC starring Oliver Reed and Sarah Miles; and A Duel of Hearts, which John Hough adapted as Duel of Hearts in 1991.
“Barbara Cartland created a universe of enduring romantic storytelling, and we’re excited to bring that world to the screen,” said John W. Beach, founder of Gravity Squared. “With Mark and Matt on board, we have a team that understands how to honor that legacy while crafting cinematic stories that resonate with audiences today.”
Gravity Squared expects The King’s Speech producer Foligno, who also counts Moon and Freud’s Last Session among, to bring a “commercial sensibility: to the adaptations and Lipsey, known for directing episodes of Ted Lasso, Little Britain and Turn Up Charlie, to add “versatility” to them. No word yet on which books will be adapted.
L.A.-based Gravity Squared, which Beach runs with Kevin Cleary, is currently in post-production on Being Heumann, the Apple Original Films adaptation of disability rights activist Judith Heumann’s memoir. Kevin J. Walsh (Napoleon, Manchester By The Sea) and David Permut (Hacksaw Ridge, Face/Off) are also attached as producers. Pic stars Ruth Madeley, Mark Ruffalo and Dylan O’Brien and will be released in 2026, with Coda‘s Siân Heder directing.
