Graphic Fiction Innovator AWA Launches Initiative with International Literary Properties to Develop Slate of Projects Based on Treasured Literary Stories
Artists, Writers & Artisans (AWA), the independent developer of bold and relevant stories from the world’s most outstanding creators, today announced a strategic partnership with International Literary Properties (ILP), the global company that invests in, acquires, manages, and enhances literary estates.
The deal will allow AWA and ILP to collaborate on a slate of projects based on ILP’s impressive roster of literary rights, including treasured stories that originated in graphic fiction. Projects may include graphic fiction re-imaginings of classic works from ILP’s library and titles from ILP’s library developed for film and television by AWA Studios. ILP holds the rights to many of the world’s most iconic works from writers including Langston Hughes, Ann Rule, Georges Simenon, James M. Cain, Georgette Heyer and Ngaio Marsh, among others. Details on the first collaboration between AWA and ILP will be shared in the coming months.
This deal comes on the heels of the recent highly-buzzed about AWA release GATSBY, a wholly reimagined retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic work, The Great Gatsby, as a modern graphic novel with contemporary and diverse characters from writer Jeremy Holt and artist Filipe Cunha.
Matthew Anderson, AWA Co-Chair & President, said, “ILP is a preeminent owner of literary rights with an incredible roster of authors and iconic works spanning a wide variety of genres. We saw a tremendous reaction to our latest reimagining of a classic tale, GATSBY, and see a big opportunity to work with ILP to introduce iconic stories to new audiences with a fresh spin be it in publishing, film, television or other formats.”
Hilary Strong, ILP CEO, UK and Europe, said “ILP proactively manages the literary rights for a broad range of incredible authors whose iconic works span a wide variety of genres. Our creative approach to rights management means that we look for strategic partnerships which enable us to take our rich library of works to new audiences in the most creative of ways. ILP is delighted to announce our exciting new partnership with AWA, which allows us to explore the unique opportunities to re-imagine the literary stories we hold originating in graphic fiction and develop them for film and television. We look forward to announcing the first project in due course and exploring further opportunities with AWA.”
Founded in 2018, AWA is unique in how it champions creators, supports originality and enables artists and writers to do their best work and retain ownership of their ideas. In 2021, the company established AWA Studios, its film and TV division, helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin as President. Since its launch, AWA Studios has quickly amassed a robust film and TV operation, kicked off by the announcement of feature film adaptations of Chariot by Bryan Edward Hill and Priscilla Petraites, which Warner Bros. acquired in competitive bidding; Marjorie Finnegan: Temporal Criminal by Garth Ennis and Goran Sudzuka, which Ruben Fleischer will direct; and Hotell by John Lees and Dalibor Talajic, to be directed by Elle Callahan, among additional projects currently in active development.
