People

Blink49 Studios and Truenorth have confirmed that Karine Vanasse (Cardinal) will take the lead role in Death of a Diplomat, a TV adaptation of Eliza Reid’s bestselling debut novel Death on the Island. The project is being developed alongside Groupe Entourage and Crave, with Síminn securing the Icelandic broadcast rights.

“We are thrilled to have Karine Vanasse attached to the project as Jane Shearer,” said Carolyn Newman and Virginia Rankin, Executive Producers. “Her talent and presence make her the perfect choice to lead this high-stakes, internationally thrilling story. With Lynne Kamm’s adaptation and our partners at Groupe Entourage and Crave, we’re excited to bring this series to life for audiences in Canada and around the world.”
"Karine Vanasse is the ambassador's wife, polished charm on the surface, and gloriously mischievous underneath,” added Lynne Kamm, writer and showrunner. “She brings the cheeky wit and killer curiosity this role demands."

A six-part, entertaining and twist-filled murder mystery, the series is set in the high-stakes world of diplomacy. When a prominent figure is poisoned at a remote Icelandic soirée, suspicions swirl, and the Canadian Ambassador’s wife Jane Shearer takes matters into her own hands. Partnering with an ambitious young Icelandic detective, Jane uncovers a web of secrets, corruption, and betrayal stretching from Reykjavik’s elite to the heart of her own marriage. As the danger mounts and the truth threatens powerful interests, Jane must choose: protect the illusion or risk everything to unmask a killer.

Death on the Island was released in Canada by Simon & Schuster and in the U.S. by Sourcebooks in Spring 2025 and it was an instant national bestseller in both countries. It was published as Death of a Diplomat in the UK by Sphere and in Iceland by Forlagid, where it was the top selling book in the country for two months after publication. The novel is forthcoming in Germany with Kampa Verlag and is the first in a planned series.

Prolific writer and showrunner Lynne Kamm (Plan B, Transplant) is attached to adapt the novel for television.

Blink49 Studios serves as lead studio. Executive producers for the series include Carolyn Newman and Virginia Rankin on behalf of Blink49, Samantha Haywood and Laura Cameron from Transatlantic, Kristinn Thordarson and Leifur B. Dagfinnsson of Truenorth, Lynne Kamm, Eliza Reid, and Nathalie Brigitte Bustos and Eric Young on behalf of Groupe Entourage.

Death of a Diplomat was selected as one of 15 projects selected at Series Mania for its Co-Pro Pitching Sessions, taking place March 24th in Lille, France.

Karine Vanasse is repped by Agence M and UBBA. Lynne Kamm is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment, Agence Adequat, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark.