Starz has acquired the exclusive U.S. rights to the BBC’s “The Listeners,” a five-part thriller starring Rebecca Hall that will premiere in 2026.
The drama series, which comes from Fremantle’s Elemental Pictures and is inspired by the novel of the same name, explores “the seduction of the wild and unknowable, the human search for the transcendent, the rise of conspiracy culture in the West, and the desire for community and connection in our increasingly polarized times.”
“The Listeners” follows Claire (Hall), a popular English teacher who begins to hear a low humming sound that no one else around her can hear. The noise gradually upsets the balance of her life, increasing tension between her and her husband Paul (Prasanna Puwanarajah) and daughter Ashley (Mia Tharia). Despite multiple doctors, no obvious source or medical cause can be found.
When she discovers that a student of hers, Kyle (Ollie West), can also hear the sound, the two strike up an unlikely and intimate friendship. Finding themselves increasingly isolated from their families, friends and colleagues, they fall in with a disparate group of neighbors, led by a charismatic couple, Jo (Gayle Rankin) and Omar (Amr Waked), who also claim they can hear what they call “The Hum” – but rather than track down the source to stop it, believe it is a gift, heard only by a “chosen few.”
“‘The Listeners’ pulls viewers in from the start with its unique mystery while provoking questions about how society treats and believes women’s experiences,” said Starz Networks president Alison Hoffman. “We’re proud to bring this critically acclaimed project to the U.S. and expand our suite of premium programming for women with this riveting psychological thriller.”
The adaptation, which previously premiered on BBC One in the U.K., is written by the novel’s author Jordan Tannahill and directed by Janicza Bravo (“Zola,” “The Bear”).
The pair serve also serve as executive producers alongside Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann and Rachel Dargavel for Element Pictures, Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC and Alice Birch. Ed King (“His House,” “Suspect,” “Howl”) serves as producer, while Fremantle is handling global sales.
In addition to “The Listeners,” Hall’s credits include “Peter Hujar’s Day,” the “Godzilla v. Kong” franchise and “Resurrection.”
The deal with Starz was brokered by Fremantle’s North American Distribution EVP Lisa Honig and Lorenzo De Maio of De Maio Entertainment.
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