Rose Byrne's Dollhouse Pictures to adapt Sally Piper's The Geography of Friendship for television

Rose Byrne’s Dollhouse Pictures has joined forces with Australia’s Aquarius Films to develop Sally Piper’s best-selling novel The Geography of Friendship as a limited TV series. The deal, announced on International Women’s Day, represents the coming together of two female-led production houses.

'Geography' is a psychological thriller which sees three female friends return to the scene of a fateful hike they took together decades earlier. While they originally set out for an adventure in the bush, it became clear that they were not alone. On returning years later, each woman has to make life-changing choices and reexamine the actions which caused the friends’ estrangement.

'Geography' will be adapted as a six-part show with episodes of one hour each by Giula Sandler (HBO Max’s 'White House Farm'). Dollhouse’s Gracie Otto (Stan’s 'Bump' and 'The Other Guy') is attached to direct. Writer Krew Boylan ('Simply Red'), Aquarius and Dollhouse will round out the development and production team with further attachments.

Aquarius Films’ principals Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford will produce alongside Dollhouse Picture’s Jessica Carrera with Rose Byrne as executive producer. No broadcast, sales or streaming attachments were announced.

Dollhouse is a creative collective and independent production company founded by Krew Boylan, Rose Byrne, Jessica Carrera, Shannon Murphy ('Babyteeth') and Gracie Otto. The company’s projects prioritize female-driven storytelling, maverick collaborators, inclusivity and diversity on screen.

Piper’s novel was published by UQP in Australia and by Legend Press in the U.K. It was shortlisted for the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards.

Rose Byrne said: 'I’m thrilled to champion a story with great potential and fascinating lead roles for two generations of women in front of the camera. Sally Piper’s story explores so many unspoken issues that need to be addressed in a wider sphere and we intend to delve into that more decisively.'

'This book feeds directly into the conversation today around the way inequality and fear of violence shapes the everyday experience of women,' said Fielder and Staniford.

'The Geography of Friendship is a provocative novel that reads like a ‘Thelma & Louise’ journey for contemporary times,' said Carrera. 'As it oscillates between past and present, what unravels from the depths of their friendship is a story about survival, shame and rage – how so often the people we are running away from are ourselves.'