HBO Reportedly Eyes ‘The Chain’ TV Adaptation With Damon Lindelof Attached

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I’m hearing some really exciting news! Apparently, Damon Lindelof – the guy behind shows like ‘Lost’ and ‘The Leftovers’ – is potentially going to write a TV series based on ‘The Chain’ for HBO. It’s still super early days, according to Jeff Sneider, but just the thought of Lindelof tackling that story is getting me hyped!

“The Chain” is a suspenseful thriller built around a frightening premise. When a young girl is kidnapped by a mysterious group, her mother is given a horrifying deal: she can only get her daughter back if she kidnaps another child. That child’s parents are then forced to repeat the cycle, and so on. The group doesn’t carry out any further kidnappings themselves – instead, they manipulate parents into continuing the chain of crimes.

The upcoming series is based on Adrian McKinty’s 2019 novel, The Chain. This book proved to be a pivotal moment for McKinty, both personally and professionally. He had previously stopped writing in 2017 after facing eviction and financial difficulties with his book sales. To make ends meet, he worked as an Uber driver and a bartender.

Crime writer Don Winslow discovered McKinty was struggling and passed his books along to agent and producer Shane Salerno. After a conversation late one night, Salerno persuaded McKinty to start a new novel, even providing a $10,000 loan to support him while writing. This ultimately led to the creation of The Chain.

The idea for this story came from chain letters and actual cases of hostage swaps. Once finished, the book brought McKinty instant success – he secured a large book contract, allowing him to write full-time again, and his novel was published in 37 countries. The setting for the story is Plum Island, Massachusetts.

Hollywood is already very interested in adapting The Chain. Paramount Pictures initially had the option to make it into a movie, but Universal Pictures bought the rights in 2020. At that time, Edgar Wright was set to direct and produce, and Jane Goldman was writing the script.

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2025-12-31 14:21