Netflix is developing a television adaptation of Lucy Clarke’s thriller novel The Surf House, with Industry and Tell Me Lies director Ed Lilly attached to the project. The adaptation comes from The North Road Company and Jessica Rhoades’ Pacesetter Productions. It remains in early development, meaning Netflix has not yet formally ordered the series and no casting or production dates have been announced.
Set high on the cliffs of Morocco, The Surf House centres on a coastal guesthouse that appears to offer the perfect escape for surfers and travellers searching for sunshine. That peaceful image begins to unravel when Bea arrives seeking refuge after a dangerous encounter in Marrakesh. She soon learns that another woman around her age stayed in the same area one year earlier before disappearing without a trace. The missing traveller walked the same beaches, met the same guests and was last known to have been at The Surf House, leaving Bea to question what the residents may be hiding.
Lilly is set to executive produce alongside Peter Chernin, Jamie Pross, Amy Israel and Josh Stern for The North Road Company. Jessica Rhoades and Alison Mo Massey will executive produce for Pacesetter Productions. Lilly recently directed episodes of Tell Me Lies and Industry. He also directed the 2020 film VS., starring Connor Swindells as a teenager drawn into Britain’s rap battle scene.
The project continues a growing run of screen adaptations based on Clarke’s novels. The Castaways, starring Sheridan Smith and Céline Buckens, and No Escape were both adapted for Paramount+, while The Hike has also been optioned for television.
For CultureCues, The Surf House already has the makings of a gripping mystery. A beautiful coastal retreat where everyone appears to be hiding something is exactly the sort of setting built for a tense thriller, and the connection between Bea and the missing traveller gives the story an immediately intriguing hook. It may still be early days, but this is one development we will be keeping an eye on.
The Surf House is currently in development at Netflix. No release date or cast has been announced.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.