Cotton Malone TV Series Adaptation in the Works at Amazon

By Joe Otterson

TV Reporter

A TV series adaptation of the Cotton Malone books by Steve Berry is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has learned exclusively.

There are currently 18 bestselling novels in the Cotton Malone series, which began with “The Templar Legacy” in 2006 and with “The Atlas Maneuver” being the most recently published in February 2024. The series has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. It is not currently known which book would serve as the basis for the first season of the show should it move forward at Amazon.

Per the show’s official logline, “An ex-U.S. Justice Department agent turned antiquarian book dealer, Cotton Malone continues to serve his country when secrets and conspiracies buried deep in America’s past come to light and threaten its future. These action-packed mysteries take Malone on international adventures, rooting out enemies not only in hostile nations, but in the highest echelons of the United States’ most powerful and clandestine cabals.”

Brian Young is attached as writer and executive producer on the series, with Berry also set to executive produce. PKM Productions’ Patrick Moran and Lynley Bird will executive produce under their overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios.

Young most recently created the live-action version of the Nickelodeon series “Winx Club” at Netflix. “Fate: The Winx Saga” aired for two seasons at the streamer, with Young also serving as executive producer and showrunner on the series. He has also written for shows like “The Vampire Diaries” and “Kyle XY.”

He is repped by WME and Hansen Jacobson.

This marks Amazon’s latest attempt at adapting a long-running book series into a TV show. Amazon Prime Video has found great success with the show “Reacher” starring Alan Ritchson, which is based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books. That show is preparing to air its third season with a fourth already on the way.

Other current Amazon shows based on book series include “The Terminal List,” “The Wheel of Time,” and “The Summer I Turner Pretty,” along with the upcoming shows “Cross” and “Scarpetta.”