TV production company Great Island has signed deals with writers Richie O’Connell and Joshua Kenny for two separate original series.
O’Connell will develop ‘Headcase’ at the Cork-headquartered prod-co, a drama/comedy in which a troubled local street performer and his gang of friends search for deeper meaning, including a sister who is a former boxing champion and agoraphobic . mate. The series will also explore mental health issues in contemporary Cork, with O’Connell drawing on his own experiences.
Kenney will now develop ‘People Do Bad Things’, about good people on the margins of society who notice that their lives are not going quite as they had hoped.
“Grace’s suicide attempt is interrupted by a young thief named Jack, who catches Grace breaking into her house,” the synopsis reads. “With nothing else to lose, Grace offers to help him rob her, causing Grace to become involved with a gang of criminals who she influences to use their skills for good.”
Based in Ireland, Great Island creates and develops a range of television content including animation, drama and unscripted formats. “Headcase” and “People Do Bad Things” will be developed with funding from Screen Ireland.
“We are pleased to announce our partnership with these two fantastic writers,” said Mark Kenny, CEO of Great Island. “A tremendous amount of work has gone into shaping these stories for film adaptation, and we are grateful to Richie and Joshua for entrusting us with their work and working with us individually. ‘Headcase’ and ‘People Do Bad Things’ are local Cork stories that are authentic yet universally relevant. This is something we look for in every project we work on. Thanks to Screen Ireland, we are working to bring these stories to audiences around the world.”