Reese’s Book Club Pick ‘The Fine Art of Lying’ Set for TV Series at UCP
Alexandra Andrews’ novel “The Fine Art of Lying,” selected as the Reese’s Book Club pick for May 2026, has been acquired for series development at UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. The thriller-drama project will be executive produced by Andrews and Scarlett Johansson’s production company These Pictures. According to the source, the story follows Clare Bast, who left small-town Binghamton for Manhattan’s art world but paused her PhD for motherhood. A powerful socialite helps her reconnect with curators and collectors, but her search for a lost masterpiece leads to a murder investigation, with clues pointing to her. Andrews is the author of the 2021 debut novel “Who Is Maud Dixon?” which earned her a Breakout Novelist recognition from The Wall Street Journal and was published in 28 languages. These Pictures, founded in 2017 by Johansson and producers Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn, previously produced the Apple TV+ film “Fly Me to the Moon” and Johansson’s directorial debut “Eleanor The Great.” The company is also developing a series adaptation of “The Nanny Diaries” at Netflix.
What’s reported
“The Fine Art of Lying” by Alexandra Andrews was the Reese’s Book Club pick for May 2026.
The book has been acquired for series development at UCP (Universal Studio Group).
Andrews is executive producing alongside Scarlett Johansson’s These Pictures.
The plot involves a murder investigation after a quest for a lost masterpiece; the protagonist Clare Bast is the prime suspect.
Andrews’ debut novel “Who Is Maud Dixon?” was published in 2021 by Little Brown and named Breakout Novelist by The Wall Street Journal that year.
That book was published in 28 languages and made Top Books of the Year lists by the New York Times, NPR, and Time.
These Pictures was founded in 2017 by Johansson, Jonathan Lia, and Keenan Flynn.
The company produced the films “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Eleanor The Great.”
These Pictures is also executive producing a series adaptation of “The Nanny Diaries” at Netflix.
Key figures
Alexandra Andrews – author and executive producer
Scarlett Johansson – founder of These Pictures and executive producer
Jonathan Lia – co-founder of These Pictures
Keenan Flynn – co-founder of These Pictures
Sources: deadline.com
