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Russian Author Akunin Announces British TV Show Based on His Books

Boris Akunin Denis Abramov / Vedomosti

Prominent Russian author Boris Akunin announced Tuesday that his beloved series depicting the adventures of a fictional 19th century detective would be turned into a British television show.

"Since Russian television channels have in recent years completely lost interest in adapting The Adventures of Erast Fandorin further, I have made a contract with the British," Akunin wrote on his Facebook page.

"Ernst Petrovich [the series' hero] will now speak not in Russian on screen, but in English," the author wrote.

Several of the fifteen books in the series have already been been adapted for the big screen in Russia, including big-budget productions of The Turkish Gambit and The State Counsellor.

Akunin said that under the terms of his contract he is unable to name the television channel, the budget or the series' release date.

He did say, however, that the pilot season would include adaptations of three of his novels: The Death of Achilles, The State Counsellor and The Coronation.

Boris Akunin is the pen name employed by Grigory Chkhartishvili. A Russian writer of Georgian heritage, Akunin is one of Russia's most popular living authors.

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