Bantam to Publish Idris Elba and Adam Hamdy’s EXILES in May 2027
News from the Random House Publishing Group: Bantam will publish EXILES, the first in the new thriller series from SAG and Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominated actor, director, and musician Idris Elba and Sunday Times and international bestselling author and screenwriter Adam Hamdy, in May of 2027.
Executive Editor Julian Pavia acquired US rights to three books in this new series from Nicola Barr at Rye Literary, with UK rights to Simon & Schuster’s Katherine Armstrong. Translation rights have already been sold, following fierce auctions, in 16 territories.
EXILES will be published as a Bantam hardcover in May 2027. An audiobook edition will be released simultaneously by Penguin Random House Audio.
The series features Joe Kane, an MI6 field operative tasked with handling some of the agency’s most complex and dangerous missions. In EXILES Joe is deployed to the African island nation of Mauritius to investigate the attempted murder of another operative. Teaming up with Aliana Baptiste of the Mauritian Police, they uncover a conspiracy with global implications. EXILES is a thrill-a-minute adventure that takes readers beneath the skin of a vibrant and glamorous tropical paradise. Idris Elba and Gina Carter’s production company, 22 Summers, holds the film and TV rights.
Adam Hamdy © Arvon.
Idris Elba, © Nicky Hamilton.
On the publishing of a thriller, Idris Elba comments: “I have a personal interest in shining a light on contemporary Africa and the Exiles series offers a unique opportunity to thrill and entertain, while showcasing the world’s most dynamic continent. I’m excited to introduce readers and audiences to Joe Kane, I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Adam Hamdy and look forward to the rollercoaster ride that is Exiles.”
Adam Hamdy adds: “I’ve been a fan of Idris Elba since The Wire, so having an opportunity to collaborate with him to bring a character as exciting as Joe Kane to life is a dream come true. We’re thrilled to be bringing Exiles to readers around the world.”
Julian Pavia says, “The team at Bantam was blown away reading the proposal for Exiles and by the work Idris and Adam did in creating Joe Kane. He immediately bursts off the page in a way that’s truly rare to encounter, as does the Mauritius setting. Kane is poised to join the pantheon of great heroes in modern thriller fiction.”
Gina Carter says: “Idris and I are excited to be developing Exiles for screen while the books come to life. Joe Kane, Aliana, and the other characters that inhabit the world of Exiles are going to captivate audiences around the world.”
Bantam is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.