‘Insomnia’: Paramount+ Orders Sarah Pinborough Series From ‘Behind Her Eyes’ Producer Left Bank

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount+ has greenlit a UK original drama series based on Sarah Pinborough’s sleep deprivation thriller novel Insomnia.

The adaptation will be produced by Left Bank Pictures, the UK production company that reimagined Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes for Netflix in 2021.

Pinborough will adapt Insomnia for the screen, telling the story of successful career woman Emma Averill, who fears she is losing her mind after suffering from sleep deprivation two weeks before turning 40.

Her mother had a similar experience at the same age, suffering a violent psychotic breakdown on the night of her 40th birthday. But even as she relives the experience of her mother, Averill believes other forces may be at work.

Her mother is hospitalized with a sudden injury, her estranged sister returns without warning, and she feels as if she is being watched. Only by investigating the truth of her painful past, can she find the answers to her present.

Insomnia is Executive Produced by Andy Harries, Jessica Burdett, and Tim Bricknell, while Charlotte Essex serves as Producer. The series was commissioned by Sebastian Cardwell, UK Deputy Chief Content Officer for Paramount.

Filming begins later this year. Left Bank’s parent company Sony Pictures Television will distribute.

Paramount+ is aiming to commission 150 international originals by 2025, with upcoming UK series including Ewan McGregor’s A Gentleman In Moscow.