‘Boomerang’ Co-Creator Ben Cory Jones Developing ‘Briarcliff Prep’ YA Novel For Television

Denise Petski

1 December 2023 at 4:56 pm·2-min read

EXCLUSIVE updated with additional details: Boomerang co-creator Ben Cory Jones has acquired the shopping rights to Brianna Peppins’ YA novel Briarcliff Prep for series development.

The project will be co-written by Jones and Peppins. Both will produce alongside Cultivate Entertainment Partners Sean Mik’ael Butler and Patrick Strøm.

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Briarcliff Prep is a coming-of-age story set in a space where the expectations of gender and race collide, familial responsibilities are tested, and sisterhood may be a saving grace.

Per the book’s synopsis, “set at a luxe, aspirational Historically Black Boarding School inspired by the author’s alma mater Spelman College, Briarcliff Prep is a captivating celebration of the friends we choose, the family we protect, and the love we owe ourselves.”

The novel was published by Disney Hyperion in 2022. The sequel, Briarcliff Prep: Sophomore Year, will be published by Disney Hyperion in 2024.

Jones is a writer, director and producer best known for co-producing HBO’s Issa Rae series Insecure and co-creating the BET series Boomerang with Lena Waithe. He has also written on shows such as Games People Play (BET), Underground (OWN) and Ben Watkins’ Hand of God (Amazon). He directed his first feature Black Spartans in 2022. Jones also produced the Broad Green Pictures comedy Step Sisters, directed by Drumline‘s Charles Stone III, which was released as a Netflix original.

Peppins is the author of young adult contemporary books, including Briarcliff Prep and As Long as We’re Together. She is a graduate of Spelman College with a B.A. in Psychology.

Jones is repped by IAG and Cultivate Entertainment Partners. Peppins is repped by Echo Lake Entertainment, Alexander, Lawrence, Frumes & Labowitz, LLP, and on the literary side by Jas Perry of KT Literary.

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