Marisa Stapley's upcoming novel Lucky optioned for TV by Lost producer Carlton Cuse

TV rights for Marissa Stapley's upcoming novel Lucky have been sold to ABC Disney Studios and Carlton Cuse.

Lucky is a novel about a scam artist named Lucky Armstrong. She just pulled off her biggest scam yet, a million dollar heist with her boyfriend. But things don't go as planned and Lucky ends up alone. Her escape hatch is a lucky lottery ticket she bought. It's worth millions, but if she cashes it in, the police will know where she is. With no one she can trust, and nothing to lose, what is she going to do?

Lucky will be published on April 6, 2021.

Stapley is a writer and journalist from Toronto. Her other novels include Mating for Life, Things to Do When It's Raining and The Last Resort.

The Last Resort has also been optioned for TV.

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Cuse is an American screenwriter, producer and director best known for the TV show Lost. His other projects include the TV shows Nash Bridges, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Locke & Key and the films San Andreas and Rampage.

Stapley will work on developing the pilot treatment with Cuse, and will write the script for the project if it moves forward.

"This is the second book I've optioned for television — but the first time I've come some close to realizing my dream of adapting my own work for the screen," Stapley told CBC Books via email. "Cuse is known for his generous mentoring of screenwriters and showrunners, so ending up working with him is a gift." 

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Stapley originally envisioned Lucky as a TV show.

"When the idea for Lucky first came to me, I imagined it as a television show but didn't know how to make that happen," she said. "I'm trying something new, challenging and exciting. No matter what happens next, I'm grateful for this."