Deadline reported in an exclusive that Chernin Entertainment has acquired the rights to adapt author Victoria Aveyard’s upcoming adult fantasy debut Tempest as a television series. Aveyard is known most for her Red Queen YA series, which is in development with Peacock and Warner Bros. Television. 

Per Deadline, Tempest is set to publish in September, described as “an epic adventure of love and betrayal, amid a brutal war for the high seas.” It will be part one of The Lyrian Sea duology, which will be released on September 8 of this year.

The high-stakes pirate romantic fantasy tells the story of former noblewoman Catrine ‘Cat’ Rose and the notorious Valerian Kane at the fall of the Golden Age of Piracy – Cat is torn between her sense of duty and the only man she’s ever loved, in a quest to become the master of her own fate beyond what the world has defined of her.

Aveyard’s Red Queen and Realm Breaker works are widely considered literary pillars from the beginnings of the YA fantasy genre, with consistent popularity on #BookTok and more than 8M copies worldwide, reports Deadline. Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect, The Hunger Games) is reportedly set to produce, direct, and play a major supporting role in the series adaptation from Peacock – which fans have speculated could be the series’ mysterious and sadistic Queen Elara of Norta.

As listed by Deadline, Chernin Entertainment’s Tracey Cook (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) and Peter Chernin (Chief of War, Hidden Figures) will executive produce alongside Rachel Moore (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mortal Kombat II) and author Aveyard. The studio, which has worked on projects for both Netflix and Apple, most recently produced the breakout feature hit film Backrooms. They are behind Apple TV’s Chief of War, See, and Truth Be Told, as well as Netflix’s Man on Fire.

Up next for Chernin Entertainment is three Netflix series, reports Deadline: Kennedy, Age of Innocence, and The Body.

From Deadline, Aveyard is represented by New Leaf Literary, WME, and Myman Greenspan.