Amazon, Scott Free Productions Team For Pompeii Limited Series

A limited series adaptation of the book “A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii” is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has learned exclusively.

The book was written by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Vicky Alvear. Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst are set as writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Clayton Krueger, and Sharon Hughff executive produce for Scott Free Productions. Amazon MGM Studios will produce.

The book takes place in the lead up to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which utterly destroyed Pompeii and killed many of its residents. It tells a series of overlapping stories of people living in Pompeii and what their lives were like before fire rained down from the sky.

Scott Free’s upcoming TV slate includes “Blade Runner 2099” at Amazon Prime Video and “Alien: Earth” at FX.

Michael Hirst is known for creating historical TV shows like “Vikings,” “The Tudors,” and “Billy the Kid,” the last of which was just renewed for a third and final season at MGM+. He was also an executive producer on the Netflix followup to “Vikings,” “Vikings: Valhalla.” In film, he is known for writing “Elizabeth” and co-writing the followup “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” both of which starred Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I of England. Horatio Hirst played Charlie Bowdre in “Billy the Kid” and Bishop Grimketel in “Vikings: Valhalla.” Should the project go to series, it will mark his TV writing debut.

Michael is repped by United Agents, WME, and Nelson Davis. The deal for the book’s rights was brokered by Lucy Stille at Lucy Stille Literary on behalf of Kevan Lyon at the Marsal Lyon Agency.