David Farnor | On 26, Apr 2018

Jennifer Crittenden, Gabrielle Allan and Elizabeth Banks are developing a new drama based on Girl Waits with Gun for Amazon Studios.

Amy Stewart’s bestselling book is inspired by the true story of Constance Kopp, who became the first female sheriff in the USA in 1014, long before women had the right to vote, own property or even wear trousers.

Crittenden and Allan (Veep) will write the series, and are executive producers alongside Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman, who are producing it under their Brownstone Productions banner. It is produced in association Warner Bros. TV and Amazon Studios.

Amazon has ordered a pilot from Crittenden and Allan, whose creative partnership goes back several years. Crittenden, who worked on Seinfeld, and Allan, a former writer on Scrubs, first teamed up to pen Twenty Times a Lady, based on the book by Karyn Bosnak, which made the 2008 Black List of U.K. produced screenplays. It became 2011’s What’s Your Number?, starring Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Zachary Quinto and Joel McHale. Since then, they have worked on Veep.

The book, published by Houghton Mifflin, marks Amazon’s ongoing commitment to commissioning projects from women writers and directors, as well as shows featuring female protagonists, such as I Love Dick and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It also fits into Amazon’s growing focus on projects with the potential to become mainstream hits, with Girl Waits forming the first part of a series of novels about the Kopp Sisters, Constance, Norma, and Fleurette. With Stewart set to launch Miss Kopp Just Won’t Quit this September – the fourth novel in the series, following Lady Cop Makes Trouble and Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions – Amazon will no doubt be aware of the opportunity to build a topical and successful franchise.

Add to Watchlist