Two Canadian screen content industry veterans are in development on a series adapting Ian Hamilton’s Ava Lee mystery thriller novels.

Robin Cass (The Kindness of Strangers; pictured left), the founder of Vancouver-based prodco Cass & Co, and Robert Munroe (What We Do in the Shadows; pictured right), VFX veteran and producer/director at Waterloo, Ont.-based Blacktop Recess, have optioned the 17 novels in the Ava Lee series along with four novels from Hamilton’s Uncle Chow Tung prequel series.

The team is set to produce the series independently in conjunction with an as-yet-unnamed prodco, a spokesperson for the project tells Playback Daily. The aim is to release the series in 2026.

The Ava Lee novels from Wales-born, Canadian author Hamilton follow a Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant and martial arts expert as she unearths “organized corruption” and combats some of the world’s most formidable criminals.

According to the project’s spokesperson, negotiations for the book series began in 2019 before pausing and restarting in late 2024, with the production deal signed in February.

“It will be an epic adventure – complex, intriguing story lines that are set in exotic locations,” said Munroe in a statement. “Writers, designers, cinematographers, VFX artists and directors are going to have a field day with this material.”

Image courtesy of Roundstone Communications