MGM+ has commissioned an adaptation of Daisy Goodwin’s best-selling novel The American Heiress, co-produced by Fifth Season and MGM+ Studios.
Fifth Season will handle distribution of the series outside of the commissioning footprint of the U.S., U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Latin America.
Julianna Margulies leads the cast as a “dollar princess” navigating Victorian England. Goodwin will serve as showrunner and EP. FilmNation Entertainment’s chief creative officer, Stacey Snider, is also an EP on the show.
“The American Heiress is a seductive mix of captivating characters, old-world class politics, and romantic ambition,” said Michael Wright, global head of MGM+. “Daisy Goodwin is a master at crafting entertaining and smart stories full of fascinating people and high stakes, and this show is Daisy at her best. Having Julianna Margulies lead this amazing cast with her unique strength, intelligence, and charm is ideal. Together with producer Stacey Snider, this team makes The American Heiress a perfect complement to the MGM+ brand of classic Hollywood storytelling for a modern audience.”
Fifth Season’s Peter Traugott, president of television, called it a “deeply compelling story of love warped by power.”
“The American Heiress is a story about mothers and daughters, old society obligation and new world entitlement, and the search for meaning in a world distorted by money,” said Goodwin. “I hope it will make viewers laugh, think, and swoon. I am a history nerd, but I am also a fan of the Hollywood golden age—think Consuelo Vanderbilt meets Rebecca!”
