This week’s IP Surveillance highlights July 2025 properties with early-stage adaptation potential across formats: near-future satire (Vera, or Faith), plastic-surgery noir (In Pursuit of Beauty), and sun-drenched psychological thrillers (This Stays Between Us); intimate longform profiles, from a Patricia Highsmith assistant’s eerie memoir to a confessional face-off between a retired FBI agent and the hitman who’s haunted him; plus newly launched podcasts exploring cult unravelings (The Lodge), wrongful conviction redemption arcs (Jailhouse Lawyer), and the scandalous power of history’s most dangerous mistresses (Mistresses). And for the first time, we’re spotlighting experimental narrative games like Everdeep Aurora and Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, whose indie DNA and episodic storytelling structures make them ripe for animation or prestige series treatment.

We’re continuing to track first-mover windows—unoptioned books, new audio, and compelling IP hiding just below the mainstream. If something here sparks (or doesn’t), reply and let us know.

📚 Books

Vera, or Faith – Near-Future Literary Fiction / Family Collapse
Logline: A 10-year-old Korean-Russian girl narrates the slow unraveling of her New Jersey family as the U.S. slides toward a corporate-run autocracy.
Why Now: Just released July 8 (Random House), Vera, or Faith is already being called Gary Shteyngart’s most searing novel yet—Kirkus starred it, and Washington Post called it “the rare satire that feels tragic, and the rare dystopia that feels personal.” Crucially: rights are still unspoken for. Shteyngart’s previous novel remains unset, meaning this new release offers first-crack potential while buzz is fresh.
Rights Status: No known option deal. Ideal moment to get in early before agency bundling.
Comps: Little Miss Sunshine × Station Eleven
Why It Works: A satirical-yet-emotional family story with a razor-sharp narrator and a quietly terrifying near-future setting. The novel unfolds with a natural season arc, following one chaotic year as personal and political breakdowns mirror each other. Feels tailor-made for an 8-episode prestige dramedy.

In Pursuit of Beauty – True-Crime / Character Study
Logline: A fame-hungry Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, known for transforming herself head-to-toe, is jailed after a “Robin Hood” string of free ops ends in tragedy.
Why Now: Released July 1 (Blackstone), this debut by Hollywood Reporter veteran Gary Baum is a buzzy nonfiction hybrid that’s drawing Bad Vegan comparisons. No adaptation chatter yet, but Baum is reportedly “taking meetings”—timing is tight.
Rights Status: Unoptioned; author-controlled.
Comps: Inventing Anna × Nip/Tuck
Why It Works: A juicy, visual LA noir built around image obsession, gender, fraud, and media spectacle. The surgical sequences and tabloid flashbacks would shine on screen, and the central figure (charismatic, deluded, surprisingly sympathetic) is pure catnip for an actress-led miniseries.

This Stays Between Us – Psychological Thriller / Dual Timeline
Logline: A woman returns to Australia ten years after a tragic study-abroad trip to uncover what really happened—and who’s been lying since.
Why Now: Releases July 15 (Sourcebooks), already racking up preorders and Goodreads buzz (11K+ adds). Early blurbs are calling it a fresh twist on the unreliable-narrator genre. Most crucially: no adaptation announced, and Sourcebooks confirms rights are available.
Rights Status: Confirmed unoptioned.
Comps: The White Lotus × Society of Lies
Why It Works: A binge-ready structure alternating between idyllic, sun-drenched danger (then) and ominous return (now). Built-in cliffhangers, castable ensemble, and international appeal. Especially ripe for 6–8 episode treatment where secrets unravel episode by episode.

The Medusa Protocol – Action / Series-Ready Genre
Logline: A black-ops 12-step group of recovering assassins must break into a secret prison to save one of their own—or risk falling off the wagon, forever.
Why Now: Released June 24 (Putnam), it’s the second in a cult-favorite series but the first to feel truly screen-ready. Kirkus raves it “brings heart to the mayhem,” and with rights unclaimed, it’s a major grab for action-hungry buyers.
Rights Status: Not optioned. Previous book (The Warehouse) sold, but this IP is clean.
Comps: John Wick × Fight Club
Why It Works: Part heist, part redemption arc. Could work as either a grounded 8-ep limited series or the launch of an emotionally complex, action-forward franchise. The world is contained, stylized, and character-first—ideal for adaptation.

📰 Long-Form Articles

“You Are Living With a Difficult Person Who Is Waiting to Die” — The Guardian (Jul 10)
Logline: A 20-year-old assistant takes a winter job caring for Patricia Highsmith in her final, paranoid years—only to fear she’s walked into one of Highsmith’s own plots.
Why Now: Published just yesterday, this intimate, gothic-feeling memoir is already catching literary Twitter’s attention. Author Elena Gosálvez Blanco owns her story, and the piece vividly evokes a confined, atmospheric relationship between a rising writer and the decaying queen of psychological noir. No adaptation announced yet—and it won’t require Highsmith estate approval to develop from the assistant’s perspective.
Rights Status: No adaptation news; Gosálvez Blanco retains her own rights.
Comps: Misery × Call Me By Your Name
Why It Works: A claustrophobic, two-hander dynamic with strong visual appeal: snowy Swiss village, dimly lit chateau, paranoia and unspoken menace. Feels tailor-made for a tightly directed, prestige feature—or an eerie 3-part limited series.

“When the Hit Man Starts Talking” — Longreads / The Atavist (Jul 8)
Logline: A retired FBI agent enters a Louisiana prison to confront the aging hit man who’s haunted him for years—only to uncover an even darker cold case.
Why Now: Just dropped this week from The Atavist (which has a strong optioning track record), this character-driven two-hander blends true-crime with moral reckoning. None of the principals are tied up—agent Myron Fuller and killer Larry Thompson are both alive, and journalist David Howard is approachable. No studio attachments yet.
Rights Status: No option news; rights clear via reporter and principals.
Comps: Mindhunter × The Father
Why It Works: Quietly devastating cat-and-mouse story. Could be staged mostly in an interrogation room with stylistic flashbacks to key hits and betrayals. One killer, one agent, one long conversation across decades—ideal for a tense, cerebral limited series.

🎧 Podcasts (Top 3 new releases within the last 30 days)

Mistresses — Audible Original (Launched July 7)
Premise: Jameela Jamil and historian Kate Lister unpack the scandal-soaked lives of history’s most infamous “other women”—starting with poisoner-turned-royal Madame de Montespan.
Why Now: Just released this week and already singled out by The Guardian as a podcast pick-of-the-week. The concept is buzzy (glamour, danger, high court politics), the audio is stylized, and key figures are all public domain—meaning producers can bypass Audible entirely by adapting these historical arcs directly. No known adaptation yet.
Rights Status: No option required for historical source material; audio rights sit with Audible, but narrative IP is open.
Comps: The Great × Bridgerton
Why It Works: Episodic, high-style anthology potential. Each “mistress” arc has clear stakes (power, downfall, love), strong lead roles, and decadent settings. A savvy studio could treat this as a multi-season prestige vehicle, with each season exploring a new femme fatale caught between intimacy and empire.

The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer — iHeart/Novel (Trailer dropped July 7, Ep 1 lands July 14)
Premise: Domestic abuse survivor Kelly Harnett is wrongfully imprisoned for a murder committed by her boyfriend—only to become a jailhouse advocate helping other women escape similar fates.
Why Now: Season 3 of the Girlfriends podcast launches next week, with early press already hitting Apple and Spotify’s curated lists. Previous seasons went unoptioned, and Harnett—who is central to this new chapter—retains her own story rights. No dramatization announced yet, but producers confirm they’re fielding interest.
Rights Status: Life rights rest with Harnett and journalist-host Anna Sinfield. No deals inked.
Comps: Unbelievable × Promising Young Woman
Why It Works: Deeply emotional, redemption-forward story with a clear central arc. The prison setting allows for contained, budget-friendly storytelling, while the legal reversals and survivor advocacy make this ideal for a 6-episode limited series with a breakout female lead.

The Lodge — RNZ Originals (New episodes July 3 & July 10)
Premise: What starts as a spiritual wellness retreat in New Zealand spirals into cultish control, bomb threats, and two mysterious deaths—all under a guru promising salvation at $1,000 a weekend.
Why Now: Still dropping episodes (most recent landed yesterday), and already a top-5 podcast in New Zealand. The story blends cult obsession with exotic-location tension, and no adaptation is on the books yet. Multiple survivor voices are on-record and could be approached individually for scripted rights.
Rights Status: No known option. Story told through first-person interviews and investigative narration—rights are acquirable via RNZ or directly with key participants.
Comps: The Vow × Wild Wild Country
Why It Works: Classic prestige cult story with an international setting. The structure (slow indoctrination, splintering trust, public implosion) lends itself perfectly to a 6–8 episode series with a rising sense of dread. Think drone shots of peaceful retreats masking psychological terror beneath.

🎮 Games (Experimental / Narrative-Driven)

Everdeep Aurora – Platformer / Atmospheric Quest
Logline: A young cat named Shell drills through layers of a decaying underground world, chasing cryptic notes from her missing mother—each descent unlocking deeper mystery and memory.
Why Now: Just released (July 10) on Switch and PC, and already spiking across indie-game channels—Kotaku calls it “astonishing,” PC Gamer calls it “like a Game Boy classic you dreamed and then forgot.” The studio (Nautilus Games) is small and self-published; no adaptation announced.
Rights Status: No known media option. Direct-to-developer approach viable.
Comps: Wolfwalkers × Inside
Why It Works: Sparse dialogue, lush worldbuilding, and emotional core. This could be a gorgeously animated YA feature or a dialogue-light, mood-heavy limited series. The “deepening descent” structure also maps cleanly to episodic arcs or game-level-style beats.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream – Stealth Adventure / Steampunk Dystopia
Logline: In a clockwork Nordic city in the early 1900s, a teenage orphan breaks into the system that destroyed her family—and discovers she’s not alone.
Why Now: Drops July 15 (PS5/PC), with a trailer that’s already passed 1M views. PC Gamer raved about its cinematic cutscenes, and Swedish studio River End has publicly said they’re open to narrative partnerships.
Rights Status: Fully owned by dev studio; unoptioned.
Comps: Arcane × Peaky Blinders
Why It Works: Period setting + dystopian visuals + stealth-action structure. This world is rich, visually distinct, and already told through three playable POVs—making it perfect for a trio-led, prestige limited series. Could be animated or live-action with strong art direction.

The Drifter – Neo-Noir / Supernatural Thriller
Logline: A drifter is murdered in broad daylight—then wakes up seconds before it happens, and is forced to relive the moment again and again until he can unravel who’s trying to kill him… and why.
Why Now: Releases July 17 on Steam (demo already playable and buzzing). Polygon calls it “the most chilling point-and-click of the year,” and dev duo Powerhoof self-publish—meaning full control and no red tape.
Rights Status: No option. Devs are indie, accessible, and have sold IP before.
Comps: Memento × Sin City
Why It Works: Structurally built for a graphic, time-looped thriller. Could be a stylized live-action noir or an animated hybrid, with each “loop” pushing deeper into the past. Has cult potential if done with pulpy style and tight runtime (e.g., 6 episodes).

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