Mike Grist TV Series in the Works

Mandalay Television has optioned a series of action books by author Mike Grist, which it hopes to turn into a TV series that centers around ex-CIA operative Christopher Wren. The deal comes not long after Mandalay also optioned Raven Kennedy’s fantasy series Plated Prisoner, and joins a crowded market of book-to-series adaptations that includes hits like Jack Ryan and Reacher, in addition to tentpole fantasy series House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. No word yet on where Mandalay hopes to place the series, which is based on six books that started with Saint Justice.

Saint Justice was self-published by Grist in 2019, followed by No Mercy and Make Them Pay in 2019, False Flag and Firestorm in 2020, and Enemy of the People in 2021. Deadline first announced the deal.

Per the deadline report, here’s the synopsis for the as-yet-untitled series based on Grist’s books:

The six-book series follows ex-CIA operative Christopher Wren, as he chases down the worst cult leader in history who is trying to destroy American democracy by dividing and pitting the US population against each other.

Only Wren can stop the anarchism when he discovers the leader of the cult is his father, who he escaped from as a young teenager. Wren’s internal battlefield leads him to finding redemption and atoning for the dark events of his own past. 

“Wren is a superb antihero whose tragic past makes him more layered, enigmatic and dimensional,” Mandalay exec David Zelon said in a statement. “The series is an exploration of the viral power of divisive content on social media, the impact of fake news and misinformation, and class wars that could be ripped out of today’s headlines. Wren’s hyper-violent fighting abilities and ferocious attack mentality mixed with his CIA intelligence training brings a heightened level of action to the story.”

The series is being overseen by Mandalay executives David Zelon, Vanessa Johnston and Zach Wanerman. There are no announcements yet in terms of what creatives might be involved in the production.