BBC Films is to tap into the teen market with the adaptation of the first book of Robert Muchamore's teenage spy series.

Cherub;The Recruit, which is being introduced to buyers in Berlin by HanWay Films, marks the start of what BBC Films hopes will be a book franchise aimed at the 14-16 age group.

Ronan Bennett wrote the script, Christopher Smith (Triangle, Creep) is directing and Sarah Radclyffe is producing.

The story follows James Adams, a member of Cherub, a top-secret branch of the British Secret Service, which recruits orphan children and trains them as intelligence officers. Shooting will start this summer.

BBC Films is also preparing The Buried, a ghost story to be directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake) and the cast is yet to be decided.

Other upcoming BBC Films productions include Debbie Isitt's Nativity (sold in Berlin by Protagonist), Stephen Poliakoff's 1939 (The Works), Tom Hooper's The Damned United (Sony has worldwide rights), Jane Campion's Bright Star (Pathe International) and Jon Amiel's Creation (HanwWay).

Topics