Emily Watson (Chernobyl, On Chesil Beach) has signed on to star in a television adaptation of the novel Too Close. The book was written by actress and author Clara Salaman under the pen name Natalie Daniels. The series is set to air on ITV but will be collaboratively produced by Snowed-In Productions and All3Media International. Snowed-In Productions is a sister company of J.K. Rowling’s Bronte Film and Television while All3Media will have the power of international distribution and streaming rights.
Watson will be portraying Dr. Emma Robinson, a forensic psychiatrist sent to assess a suspect who has committed a heinous crime with seemingly no memory of said crime. Connie, the suspect, proves just as adept at mind games and gains a searing insight into Robinson’s deepest fears, making their sessions complex psychological warfare. The three-part drama will show the story of, “how two women become dangerously close when fate forces them together.”
Snowed-In’s Head of Drama, Ruth Kenley-Letts (The Casual Vacancy) is set to executive produce. Kenley-Letts said, “Working with Clara Salaman on this adaptation of her novel has been a joy. She is a bright new talent to screenwriting and it is a testament to her writing that Emily Watson, one of our finest and most accomplished actors, has signed up to play the part of Emma. Clara’s scripts are consistently gripping, with three compelling and brilliantly realized women at their heart.”
Meanwhile, ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill said, “Too Close is a brilliant script where you are never sure who has the power – the psychologist or her patient, or whether Connie is the monster she’s portrayed as.” Hill is the one who commissioned the series and added, “I’m delighted that Emily Watson is going to play Emma, who will be phenomenal and I’m looking forward to working with Ruth Kenley-Letts and the team at Snowed-In Productions to bring this fantastic adaptation to ITV.”
For her part, Kenley-Letts said, “I can’t wait to work with Polly Hill and ITV to bring [it all] to life.”