LONDON — Building on a creative partnership that has already yielded a critical and awards-season powerhouse, producer Liza Marshall and her banner, Hera Pictures, have secured the screen rights to Maggie O’Farrell’s highly anticipated tenth novel, Land.
The acquisition comes at a triumphant moment for the duo. Their first collaboration, the film adaptation of Hamnet—directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal—is currently dominating the 2026 awards circuit with 11 BAFTA nominations and 8 Oscar nods.
A Multi-Generational Irish Saga
While Hamnet delved into the grief of 16th-century Warwickshire, Land shifts the lens to 19th-century Ireland. The novel, which is scheduled for publication in June 2026, is described as O’Farrell’s most ambitious work to date.
- The Plot: Set in 1865, the story follows Tomás and his young son Liam as they traverse the rugged Irish landscape.
- The Mission: They are part of the Ordnance Survey, tasked with the massive undertaking of mapping the entire country.
- The Themes: Against the backdrop of a nation still reeling from the Great Hunger, the story explores colonization, family survival, and the “buried histories” of the Irish people.
A Partnership Built on Trust
For O’Farrell, the decision to re-team with Marshall was deeply personal. “It’s such a personal novel, incorporating my own family history, that I don’t think I could have entrusted it to any other producer,” the author stated.
Liza Marshall, whose Hera Pictures has quickly become a leader in high-end drama (including the recent hit Mary & George), praised O’Farrell’s ability to “illuminate history through the emotional lives of her characters.”
What’s Next?
While the novel Land won’t hit shelves until this summer, Marshall confirmed that early conversations are already underway with “top-tier talent” to bring the sweeping Irish landscape and O’Farrell’s intimate father-son story to the big screen.
Fans of the author can expect a cinematic experience that mirrors the book’s “epic yet intimate” scale, potentially reuniting the creative force that made Hamnet a global success.
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