Called Prophets and written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, the acclaimed 32-year-old Scot who co-wrote 1917 with Mendes, it deals with the shady and high-stakes business of predictive investing. The partners are also making a comic thriller series for television set in London’s financial markets. Now, in addition to developing The Magus, the Neal Street quartet is to bring a musical version of the cherished 1983 film Local Hero to the Old Vic theatre this summer. And 1917, which this weekend has reached a box office figure of almost £22m in just a fortnight, received its clutch of Oscar nominations in the same week that their BBC One television show Call the Midwife racked up top viewing figures of seven million and their outlandish Jez Butterworth-scripted show Britannia announced a third season on Sky. Between them, Mendes, Nick Brown, Caro Newling and Dame Pippa Harris are also responsible for staging Stefano Massini’s acclaimed theatrical event, The Lehman Trilogy. Inside the Covent Garden offices Mendes shares with three partner producers, there is no question of taking a rest after the run of hits they have enjoyed. “There’s a whole raft of good books that fall into that category and now we are in a position where we can tell it differently.” “There are lots of modern classics like this one which were compressed into movies in the past and perhaps lost something by squeezing them, instead of telling them over several hours,” said Mendes. Fowles wrote the book, which was made into a film in 1968, after teaching English at a school on Spetses, and it tells the story of the enigmatic and reclusive resident of an island villa who controls the lives of those who come into his orbit. The director believes the twisting, layered plot of the 1965 bestseller will be suited to television.

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