A major rights deal for David Gilman’s contemporary espionage thriller, The Englishman, was agreed with Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, with plans to develop a Jason Bourne-like franchise around Dan Raglan, the novel’s hero character.

Stuart Ford said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter : "We're thrilled to have acquired the right to make a film or maybe multiple films from David Gilman's compelling, enigmatic action hero Raglan and are looking forward to introducing some top tier writing and directing talent to the project in the near future."

Published in July 2020 by Head of Zeus, The Englishman centers on Dan Raglan, a former soldier in the French Foreign Legion, who fought against terrorists on the desert border of Mali and Algeria, must infiltrate a Russian penal colony to track down a mercenary killer. A high-octane modern-day international thriller that takes the reader on a heart-pumping journey around the world.

David Gilman is the bestselling author of the historical adventure Master of War series and the YA adventure Danger Zone series. He was also a screenwriter on the ITV crime series A Touch of Frost.

The deal was brokered by Ford and VP of Legal & Business Affairs Anant Tamirisa on behalf of AGC Studios along with Conrad Williams of the Blake Friedmann Literary Agency on behalf of Gilman.