The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne: Phoebe Dynevor to star in story of gunfights and monsters

Variety reports that Phoebe Dynevor of Bridgerton has signed on to executive produce and star in the futuristic thriller The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne, which is set “in a fragmented future England, where gunfights and monsters collide”. James Bobin (Flight of the Conchords) will be directing the film from a screenplay by Joe Tracz, based on a novel by Jonathan Stroud (which you can purchase at THIS LINK). In this movie, we’ll find that

the formidable outlaw Scarlett McCain fights daily against the odds. When she discovers a wrecked coach on a lonely road, there is only one survivor — the seemingly hapless youth Albert Browne. Soon, new and implacable enemies are on their heels and a relentless pursuit continues across the broken landscape of England. Scarlett must fight to uncover the secrets of Albert’s past — and come to terms with the implications of her own.

Here’s a little more information from the book description:

England has been radically changed by a series of catastrophes – large cities have disappeared and London has been replaced by a lagoon. The surviving population exists in fortified towns where they cling to traditional ways, while strangely evolved beasts prowl the wilderness beyond. Conformity is rigidly enforced and those who fall foul of the rules are persecuted: some are killed, others are driven out into the wilds. Only a few fight back – and two of these outlaws, Scarlett McCain and Albert Browne, display an audacity and talent that makes them legends.

The film adaptation of The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne is being produced by Temple Hill Entertainment. If it’s successful, it looks like the project has built-in franchise potential, because Stroud’s book is expected to be the first installment in a series.

I haven’t read the book (or watched Bridgerton), but the basics of the story sound interesting to me. A fragmented England filled with monsters and outlaws, that’s a promising start. The monster part of it all reminds me of the recent movie Love and Monsters, which I really enjoyed.