See-Saw Films (Slow Horses) has acquired the rights to adapt the Lovejoy detective novels, which were written by Dr. John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash, Deadline reported. The 24 books, published between 1977 and 2008, include The Judas Pair, The Grail Tree, and Faces in the Pool. They were previously made into a popular BBC series, starring Ian McShane, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"No word yet on whether McShane is returning for the remake, which isn't yet attached to a network or streamer," Deadline wrote, adding: "Set in East Anglia, Lovejoy is about a charismatic antiques dealer with an almost mystical knack for spotting genuine artefacts and scams. He frequently pivots from dealer to detective, outmaneuvering rivals, criminals and occasionally the police."
See-Saw said it wants to create a "contemporary reimagining of the Lovejoy novels that will strip away the nostalgia of the 1980s adaptation and return to the unrulier spirit of the books."
Grant's agent Lisa Moylett commented: "Jonathan Gash created an extraordinarily vivid and complex Lovejoy. A morally ambiguous, often unpleasant anti-hero brought to life through taut prose and page-turning stories steeped in the shadowy world of antiques. It was essential that any new adaptation kept the books front and center. See-Saw's bold, assured vision, led by Lisa Gilchrist and Helen Gregory, demonstrated exactly how to preserve the books' wit and grit while reimagining them for today's audience."