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FX Gets IRA Thriller Say Nothing
Once upon a time Northern Ireland was in the middle of a bitter political conflict. The Troubles, also called the Northern Ireland conflict spanned three decades (1968-1998). This deadly struggle was spearheaded by the Irish Republican Army and the IRA’s goal was to end British Rule in Northern Ireland. You know what they say…one person’s freedom fighter is another person’s terrorist and the IRA, by many, was considered a terrorist group. They carried out bombings, assassinations and other attacks against British and Irish Unionists. Nearly two-thousand were killed, thousands more injured and many went missing.
Fast forward to 2019 and New Yorker writer Patrick Radden Keefe’s newest book SAY NOTHING: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland is optioned by FX and partner Color Force to develop as a limited series.
Keefe’s book chronicles the 1972 abduction of Jean McConville, a 38-year-old mother of ten who was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders. McConville, rumored to be a British informant, was never seen again. Her disappearance was one of the most notorious episodes of the merciless conflict. Keefe uses the McConville case as an entree to tell a tale of guerilla warfare, a society paralyzed by fear and the consequences embedded in the memories of those who were part of this deeply personal history.
Color Force’s executive producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson told the Hollywood Reporter, “We’re always on the lookout for a literary page-turner and when we started Patrick’s book we couldn’t put it down.” Simpson also added, “It’s in the sweet spot for us and FX, on some level it’s a crime thriller, an espionage thriller, but it’s also something more deep and resonant.”
Jacobson and Simpson have had success with their FX partnership, a la American Crime Story and Pose. With the world wondering how Ireland will fare with Brexit, their newest project could prove to be well-timed. But, they are not the first to delve into this case. The recently released documentary I, Dolours (the trailer for that is above) takes an in-depth look at militant IRA activist Dolours Price who confesses to her involvement in the McConville murder. The infamous Price was one of the few women who rose to the top of the IRA’s ranks. Two years prior to her death, Price agreed to film an interview on the condition it was not broadcast during her lifetime. Price died in 2013.
