Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is in talks to turn her debut novel into a Bridgerton-style period drama series

Variety

Ferguson's debut novel, Her Heart for a Compass, won't be released until next week, but it's already being shopped around as a potential TV series. The novel, which she co-wrote with longtime collaborator Marguerite Kaye, "is a historical fiction based on the life of Ferguson’s great-great-aunt Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott," according to Variety. "Set during the Victorian era, it takes place in a series of grand mansions across England, Scotland and Ireland as well as hopping across the Atlantic to 1870s New York." A source tells Variety: "Everyone involved is looking at the success of Bridgerton as a demonstration of the immense appeal of period drama on streaming services.” Ferguson has worked in entertainment before, having conceived of and produced The Young Victoria, the 2009 British period film starring Emily Blunt, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Julian Fellows.