Leading German producer Martin Mošković has teamed up with Philipp Kiel, owner of Europe’s largest independent novel publisher Diogenes and a filmmaker himself, to adapt the title from Diogenes’ catalog.
Other Diogenes authors whose works have been adapted in the past include Patricia Highsmith (Ripley, Carol), Patrick Susskind (Perfume), and Bernhard Schlink (The Reader).
“We are actively negotiating with about a dozen properties. Some are already established, others are in early stages. The pipeline reflects the depth of Diogenes’ catalog,” Mošković told Variety. “In a market drowning in synthetic content, the human voice is a valuable asset, and Diogenes happens to be located at one of the highest densities of that asset in the world.”
Mr. Keel added: “We are at the beginning of this adventure and we could not be more grateful to have such experienced and dedicated partners. We have several projects that look very promising and we are in touch almost daily.”
Diogenes was founded in 1952 by Keele’s father, Daniel Keele, and has since published more than 8,000 books by more than 800 authors and artists, including Ian McEwan, John Irving, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Mick Herron and Paulo Coelho.
Keel added that it’s not just legacy authors who want their work adapted. Since he took over in 2012, more than 150 new authors have signed with Diogenes, including Daniela Klien, Simone Rapert and Sasha Filipenko. Two big successes at the time were Kurien’s “Love in Case of Emergency” (2019) and Elena Fisher’s “Paradise Garden” (2023).
“Good stories are at the heart of film and television today. Everyone wants them, and Diogenes has one of the most concentrated libraries of those stories anywhere in the world,” Moshkovic said.
In 2016, Kiel founded the subsidiary Diogenes Entertainment and has since worked on numerous films and series as an executive producer. These include the film adaptation of Highsmith’s Deep Water, produced by Entertainment 360 and New Regency Pictures and starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, and Steven Zaillian’s adaptation of Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley as the Netflix series Ripley, starring Andrew Scott, which won four Emmy Awards.
Kiel told Variety that he met Mošković, the former CEO of Constantin Film, a major German film and television company, about 30 years ago. But it wasn’t until Konstantin turned Perfume into a film, released in 2006, that they started working together professionally. Since then, they have been “bouncing ideas” on how to work together, Mošković said, but those discussions have taken shape in recent months.
“What we’re doing together is, in some ways, a natural next step. Diogenes has one of the most valuable literary catalogs in the world and has been turning books into series and feature films for decades. Philip and I are taking it to a new level as producing partners. With our combined connections in the studio and television worlds, it felt natural to join forces,” said Moshkovic.
“Our industry is changing. It’s not just about IP. It’s about community, too. Readers who fall in love with a book bring with it built-in marketability. Diogenes has been building those communities for over 70 years, and we carry that history into today’s world of entertainment,” he added.
“Beyond the traditional license of selling screen rights and watching from the sidelines, we want to take a more active role in shaping these properties and the audiences they reach. Philip has been working that way with his own projects for years. Now we are merging two skill sets – his as a filmmaker and mine as a producer – and applying them across our catalog.”
“Post-COVID, post-strike, post-streaming wars, production is down across the board, and the industry is in a flight to quality. We need unique, creative voices. And Diogenes has a distinctively rich, distinct voice. He’s not the next sequel to something. Take Patricia Highsmith, for example. She’s never been more in demand than she is now.”
“In an age of endless synthetic content and ubiquity of cheap content, the real human voice has become the most important asset in our business.
“Beyond Highsmith, the catalog ranges from Dürrenmatt and Schlink to contemporary voices like Martin Souter and Charles Lewinsky. It’s a really broad range.”
For Moszković and Kiel, protecting the writer’s “authorial vision” is a top priority. “I think it’s really important for writers to have confidence in the process,” Keel says. “Apart from my passion for film and television, the most important thing for me is adapting the story in a way that corresponds to the writer’s style and, of course, their vision. What makes my work so appealing is that I know not only the content, but also the creators behind it, and I know a little bit about what they like and what they don’t like. That’s also true about scripts and talent. When I read the script for ‘Ripley,’ for example, I ask myself: Is it a language that Patricia Highsmith would have enjoyed and appreciated? ”
