‘World War Z’ Director Marc Forster Adapting Jamie Scallion’s Revenge Thriller ‘Nines’ For TV With Renée Wolfe, Me+You Productions & Fremantle

EXCLUSIVE: World War Z and Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster is turning his hand to TV by directing an adaptation of Jamie Scallion’s buzzy upcoming thriller Nines.

Nines, which follows a man in jail intent on revenge, was snapped up by Forster and Renée Wolfe’s indie 2DUX² along with I Am… producer Me+You Productions following what they termed a “fiercely competitive auction.” The show is being forged as a high-end returning TV series and publisher Transworld has already acquired world English-language rights to the novel plus its sequel, which won’t publish until 2028 and 2029 respectively. Fremantle, which has a first-look deal with Me+You, is selling the show globally.

The titular character in Nines is an orphan, pianist, father, widower and killer. Serving a life sentence in Britain’s most secure jail for killing one of the men who murdered his wife, he now wants the rest of them, and to track down the son they took from him. In prison, his mentor, master forger and zen master Suranga moulds him into the machine that will finish the job, but he must then break out into a world that has changed.

BAFTA-nominee Forster will direct the first block of episodes and remain “closely involved throughout the series, helping shape its visual language and creative tone,” the team said. He and the creative team are now casting and speaking to writers.

Forster is better known for his work on the big screen. His credits include disaster movie World War Z with Brad Pitt, James Bond’s Quantum of Solace, Finding Neverland and A Man Called Otto. On the small screen, he directed two episodes and exec produced Prime Video’s Hand of God, which starred Ron Perlman as a corrupt judge who suffers a breakdown.

Forster is working with producing partner Wolfe and their 2DUX² outfit along with Me+You, which is run by Krish Majumdar and Richard Yee. Me+You is probably best known for Dominic Savage’s I Am… female-led drama anthology for Channel 4, which won Kate Winslet a BAFTA and has its next instalment coming up with Nicola Coughlan and Joe Cole.

Scallion, meanwhile, has had an intriguing path to Nines. He was lead singer in rock band Officer Kicks and went on to collaborate with Irish band The Script on a YA book series called The Rock ‘n’ Roll Diaries. In 2025 he co-wrote another YA novel, The Last Song on Earth, with broadcaster Dave Berry.

Forster and Wolfe said Nines Season 1 should “feel like an event – and the beginning of something much larger.” “We want Nines to strike a very particular balance of intriguing, emotional characters juxtaposed with fresh and relevant action sequences that further the depth of the story,” they added. “What excites us is that Nines feels built for the screen, with a character and a world that can keep expanding.”

Majumdar and Yee called Nines a “propulsive, funny and unexpectedly moving thriller.” “Having a world-class filmmaker like Marc directing is a real coup,” they said. “We can’t wait to work with Jamie on this adaptation of his stunning debut.. We believe Nines has every chance of becoming an iconic anti-hero for the screen.”

Wolfe and Forster are repped by Ari Greenburg and Austin Vaziri at WME.