Captivity director Roland Joffe set for Hunchback TV adaptation

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Classic horror characters continue to find a home on the small screen as Variety is now reporting that director Roland Joffe, best known for THE KILLING FIELDS and THE MISSION, has teamed up with FremantleMedia Intl. to develop the miniseries “Ugly,” an eight-part adaptation of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Joffe has moved the action of Victor Hugo’s novel into the late 17th and early 18th century. The story begins with the birth of a boy to an aristocratic family. The boy is deformed and his family abandons him by the roadside in a basket, where he is discovered by a troupe of travelling actors. They name him Ugly.

The story follows Ugly into adulthood, exploring the nature of beauty and ugliness, what it means to be human, and notions of morality.

FremantleMedia Intl. will introduce the miniseries to buyers at next month’s TV market MipTV in Cannes. Joffe hopes to move into production next year.