Sony Pictures is bringing another bestselling literary sensation into the world of film, having acquired the feature adaptation rights to The Heartstring Duet, the viral dark fantasy romance series by author Liv Zander.
The two-book series, comprising Crown Me Dead and Crown Me Yours, combines elements of dark fantasy, horror and romance. Both titles became an online sensation after being independently published just one week apart in April, quickly attracting a massive global readership.
The story follows Elara, the daughter of gravediggers living in a kingdom devastated by a deadly plague. As she helps her remaining family care for the dead, tragedy strikes when her brother falls ill. Desperate to save him, Elara accepts a mysterious offer from a palace steward: she must seduce the kingdom’s reclusive king and make him fall in love with her. Doing so will supposedly break the curse, but only if she ultimately dies at his hands.
However, as Elara begins uncovering the dark secrets surrounding the kingdom’s curse, she faces an impossible choice: accept her fate as a sacrifice or fight for her own survival.
The books’ commercial success has been equally impressive. Shortly after its release, Crown Me Dead climbed to No. 5 on Amazon’s overall eBook chart. Within just three and a half months, the two novels had collectively generated more than 100 million Kindle page reads worldwide.
Following the success of Zander’s self-publishing launch, Requited, an imprint of Hachette, acquired the U.S. publishing rights, while HarperCollins’ UK imprint HQ secured the British rights. The books have since been translated into 14 languages, with new print editions released in both the U.S. and UK this week.
A USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, Zander has also built a following through her other independently published dark fantasy romance works, including the Court of Ravens and Pale Court series. She is represented by Untitled, Maggie Marr Legal and Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management.
The acquisition adds The Heartstring Duet to an increasingly impressive lineup of literary properties being developed for the big screen at Sony Pictures.
Other recent adaptation projects include Lindsey Anderson Beer’s Hollow, which is set to star Sydney Sweeney; Michael Crichton and James Patterson’s Eruption; Freida McFadden’s The Surrogate Mother; Lynn Painter’s Fake Skating, featuring Amelie Hoeferle and Graham Campbell; Katy Hays’ Home Economics, starring Julia Roberts; and Don Winslow’s City on Fire, starring Austin Butler.
With its blend of dark romance, supernatural horror and high-stakes fantasy, The Heartstring Duet could be another compelling addition to Sony’s growing slate of book-to-film adaptations.
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