Jenna Coleman's new Prime Video show Wilderness is set to be a twisting, turning thriller, telling the story of Liv, a woman out for revenge after she finds out her husband Will has been having an affair.
Advertisement
The show is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by BE (Beverley) Jones. However, book readers who think they know how the series will play out may need to think again.
The show's creator Marnie Dickens spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com, and when asked how closely the story told on-screen follows the original novel, she said that it "takes quite a big detour from the book".
She explained: "Bev’s been very supportive of us doing what you need to do with an adaptation, which is working out what works and then building out from that.
"The central premise of the 'young British couple going on this road trip to try and patch up their relationship but she's got ulterior motives' is very much there. The big twist, which I obviously won't go into, is from the book, and then the rest is just built out with a lot of elbow grease."
Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Will Taylor and Jenna Coleman as Liv Taylor in Wilderness. Prime UK/Kailey Schwerman
Dickens continued: "One of the things that felt really important to me and Liz [Executive producer Elizabeth Kilgarriff] and our script editor Katie [Stevens] when we were developing the scripts, and of course Prime Video supporting us, was that it can't just feel like a series of unfortunate events befalling Liv.
"You want to feel like she has agency and that her character choices are driving the story. Otherwise you run the risk of it just feeling like shock after shock after shock for shock sake."
As well as Coleman, the show also stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Surface), Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars) and Eric Balfour (The Offer).
The series has been described as "a twisted love story, where a dream holiday and a supposedly 'happily-ever-after' quickly turns into a living nightmare".
Wilderness launches globally on Prime Video on 15th September 2023. If you have yet to subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can Sign up now for £8.99 a month.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
