Screenwriter Steven Knight on board to develop scripts

Kudos, part of Endemol Shine UK, has secured the rights to Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book SAS: Rogue Heroes and is developing a major drama series which tells the incredible story of how the world’s most renowned and ruthless special forces unit, the SAS, came to exist.

Acclaimed screenwriter, Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Taboo, Locke, Eastern Promises), is on board to bring Macintyre’s extraordinary book to the screen. With unique and privileged access to secret archives, the story is the definitive account of SAS history.

Knight’s scripts will bring to life the revolutionary thinking which led to the creation of this new form of combat and warfare. Celebrating the glory, action and camaraderie at the heart of this story, the series will delve into the psychology of the flawed, reckless but astonishingly brave group of maverick officers and men who formed the SAS in the darkest days of WW2.

Steven Knight, commented:

“This will be a secret history telling the story of exceptional soldiers who decided battles and won wars only to then disappear back into the shadows. We will shine a light on remarkable true events informed by the people who shaped them.”

Martin Haines, joint Managing Director for Kudos, said:

“The sheer scale of the adventures brilliantly told by Ben, and the extraordinary and varied characters involved, make this an incredibly exciting project. With Steven on board we have the opportunity to redefine the genre completely.”

Karen Wilson, joint Managing Director for Kudos, added:

“Steven is the perfect writer to bring this incredibly rich and powerful story to life. Imagine the men at the heart of this story being drawn with the same colour, character and compassion as the iconic characters which feature across Steven’s work and you get a sense of the huge potential of this project.”