Producers Option Award-Winning Spy Thriller 'The Peacock and the Sparrow' for Film Adaptation

Producers Scott Delman and Zanne Devine are planning an upcoming adaptation of the debut spy thriller, “The Peacock and the Sparrow,” written by former CIA operations officer, I.S. Berry. The novel is set in Bahrain during the Arab Spring and follows a CIA spy framed in an unpredictable revolution, involving murder and conspiracy.

The book, lauded for weaving a complex tale of romance, betrayal, espionage, and intricate international relations, has earned recognition as the Times and Telegraph Thriller of the Year. It also secured spots on the best book lists of the New Yorker, Financial Times, Guardian, and NPR. The debut novel has pocketed major accolades including the 2024 Edgar Award, International Thriller Writers Award, Barry Award, and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel.

According to Delman and Devine, “The Peacock and the Sparrow” is an extraordinary tale that they believe has to be brought to life on film. More information about the casting and other details are expected to be released at a later date.

Berry draws from her six years of experience serving as an operations officer for the CIA, including her tenure in wartorn Baghdad. Her experience extendes to several countries in Europe and the Middle East, including a two-year stay in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. Berry is now working on a second spy novel that seems to be a sequel to “The Peacock and the Sparrow,” focusing on a half-British, half-Iraqi woman who infiltrates an Al Qaeda cell in Europe.

For Delman and Devine, this is another feather in their cap of upcoming projects. Delman, a producer who boasts of thirteen Tony Awards to his name, is known for HBO's critically acclaimed “Station Eleven” miniseries. He is reportedly working on a series for Lionsgate, based on the book “Billion Dollar Fantasy,” and another project exploring the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal. Devine, on the other hand, has several movie credits including “I, Tonya,” “Mr. Holmes,” and “Easy A, and a remake of the ice hockey cult classic "Youngblood" releasing this March.