Fox Entertainment Studios has landed the rights to turn two upcoming books into series.
The studio is developing projects based on Pat Kelly’s debut thriller Rifle Season and Thomas Mullen’s Darktown with Jeffrey Levine and his production company Bronson Canyon Pictures.
It comes after Levine, who was previously SVP, Scripted Development at American Gods producer Fremantle struck a first-look deal with the studio earlier this year.
Rifle Season, which is set to be published by Simon & Schuster’s Emily Bestler Books imprint in January 2026, is the first installment of Kelly’s Mace Winters series.
Mason “Mace” Winters, a legendary big-game hunting guide in Colorado. But after a tragic accident leaves him with an involuntary manslaughter conviction, his life spirals into ruin. When two mysterious clients lure him back into the mountains under the guise of a photography hunt on opening day of Colorado’s rifle season, he soon realizes the trip’s true purpose is far deadlier. Thrust into a lethal game of cat-and-mouse in the wilderness he knows better than anyone, Mace must summon the hunter he used to be to protect his family, outwit ruthless operatives, and reclaim his life, before the mountain doesn’t let him walk away. Levine will exec produce the adaptation.
Darktown, which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2016, is a historical crime thriller set in Atlanta in 1948. It follows two of the city’s first Black police officers — Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith — who are assigned to patrol the historically Black neighborhood of “Darktown” under the most restrictive, segregated conditions. Despite being officially powerless and facing entrenched racism within the force, they witness a white ex-cop crash into a lamppost, allow the suspect to walk free, and then discover that the young Black woman in his car has been murdered. As Boggs and Smith dig deeper, they uncover a web of corruption, bigotry, and conspiracy stretching across the police department and the city’s elite.
Levine will executive produce the Darktown adaptation alongside former HBO film chief Len Amato and his production company Crash & Salvage.
Levine launched Bronson Canyon Pictures earlier this year after leaving Fremantle in April. At the RTL-owned producer and distributor, he worked on series including American Gods, Little Bird, and the upcoming Amazon U.K. series Kill Jackie. Previously, Levine was a producer at Paula Weinstein’s Spring Creek Productions, where he developed and executive produced HBO’s Too Big to Fail, and produced This Is Where I Leave You for Warner Bros. He also held roles at Castle Rock Entertainment, Turner Network Television, and The Zanuck Company, beginning his career at The Goldwyn Company.
“Jeffrey is a proven creative talent with exceptional taste, extensive industry relationships, and a producer’s instinct for finding stories audiences want to see,” said Hannah Pillemer, Head of Scripted at Fox Entertainment Studios. “He’s already identified his first two adaptations based on incredible literary IP, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with him as he builds a bold, talent-driven slate under his Bronson Canyon banner.”
“It’s an exciting moment to be part of Fox Entertainment Studios’ growth and vision for scripted storytelling,” said Levine. “Hannah and the entire team have been incredibly supportive and collaborative as we begin to acquire, develop, and package projects for the streaming and global marketplace and build distinctive, high-quality content together.”
Levine is represented by Seth Michael at Myman Greenspan Fineman Fox Rosenberg & Light.
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