Scott Free, Tandem team on 'Pillars'

Pair work on TV adaptation of Follett novel

By ED MEZA

BERLIN — Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free and Munich-based Tandem Communications are re-teaming to produce a TV adaptation of Ken Follett’s international bestseller “The Pillars of the Earth.”

Widely considered to be Follett’s masterpiece, the historical novel is set in the 12th century and revolves around the building of a cathedral, and the development of Gothic architecture, in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England.

The sweeping epic, which spans more than 50 years, is set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles that tear lives and families apart.

Although published in 1989, “Pillars of the Earth” recently returned to the top of the New York Times Paperback Trade Fiction list.

Tandem optioned rights to the book and will produce with Scott Free, with which it partnered on 2007’s “The Company,” TNT’s miniseries based on Robert Littell's bestselling novel about the CIA.

“The Pillars of the Earth” has been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.