Last year, it sort of got lost in all of the fuss about Omid Scobie’s Endgame and the “naming” of the royal racists, but Scobie is pretty much living full time in America now and he’s made his peace with cutting ties with many people in the royal and royalist circles. Endgame was his goodbye to that particular career path. Now he’s going full entertainment, with a royal-ish twist. He’s taking what he knows of palace operations and he’s creating a fictional world where a politico-type enters the palace communications operation and chaos ensues. The fictional book is called Royal Spin, and good news, Universal Television has already bought the rights to turn it into a TV show.
Royals author Omid Scobie has a new project in the works. On July 18, Universal Television announced it acquired the rights to turn Scobie’s upcoming fiction book Royal Spin into a new TV show.
“With the British monarchy reeling from a wave of scandals, young American politico Lauren O’Connell is plucked from the White House to breathe new life into the Buckingham Palace communications team and help end the royal family’s streak of bad press. But in an institution steeped in tradition and strict protocol, change isn’t easy — or welcome. It turns out the Royal Household can be just as messy and confusing as Capitol Hill,” a logline reads.
“Faced with never-ending culture clashes, displeased royal aides with intimidating titles, and risky new love interests, this fish out of water is determined to prove she’s got what it takes — and might even find herself in the process,” it continues.
Royal Spin is co-written by Scobie and young adult novelist Robin Benway. Universal Television is a division of Universal Studio Group, and news of its acquisition of the rights to the show follows a multi-studio bidding war. Scobie conceived the story and is developing and co-creating the series with Emily Fox, a writer and showrunner whose credits include The Watchful Eye, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce and more. Fox is set to write the script and serve as showrunner, further acting as an executive producer alongside Scobie and Benway.
“We’re so excited to be partnering with Universal Television on the adaptation of Royal Spin. No show or book has ever gone inside the frenzied world of the Buckingham Palace press office, and we can’t wait to throw Lauren — our young American protagonist fresh from the White House communications team — into the deep end of it,” Fox, Scobie and Benway said in a joint statement.
It honestly sounds fun, but I’m interested in what kind of tone the show has. Will this be more of a 30-minute weekly romcom or sitcom, or will this be something a bit more high-minded and fancy? Will this be like Veep set in a palace office or more like a situation-drama with actual stakes? Given Emily Fox’s credentials… it’s actually a toss-up? Still, I’ll tune in and support. I love that there was a bidding war for the rights to Scobie’s as-yet-unpublished book.
Photos courtesy of Scobie’s IG.