Gotham Group, Chariot Entertainment Option Muslim YA Novel 'Internment' (Exclusive)

The book, from New York Times best-selling author Samira Ahmed, is set to be published March 19.

The Gotham Group and Chariot Entertainment have teamed to option an upcoming young adult novel that imagines a United States in which American Muslims are interned.

Samira Ahmed's Internment, which is set to be published March 19 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, follows Muslim teenager Layla Amin, whose life is transformed when the U.S. institutes a set of Exclusion Laws that greatly restrict the civil rights of Muslim Americans, including subjecting them to curfews and forbidding her relationship with her Jewish boyfriend, David. When a new executive order forces Layla and her family into internment camps, she must find the courage to stand up for both the faith and the country that she believes in.

"Internment is the book of my heart — written out of fear, but also hope," said Ahmed, whose debut novel Love, Hate & Other Filters became a New York Times best-seller in January. "I'm thrilled to be working with Gotham and Chariot, who I know will do justice to Layla's story as they bring it to life."

The two production companies are eyeing Internment as a feature, although a limited series is possible. Gotham Group previously found YA adaptation success with the Maze Runner franchise. The management-production company also produced last year's indie drama Kodachrome, starring Ed Harris, Jason Sudeikis and Elizabeth Olsen. Chariot was launched by veteran producer-manager Ahmos Hassan last year to develop film and television projects that can represent Muslims in a more realistic and accurate light.

"Samira's admirable novel is an important one for a critical time in our country," said Hassan. "I'm delighted to be working with such socially conscious partners at the Gotham Group to bring it to the screen."

Ahmed is repped by Paradigm on behalf of P.S. Literary Agency's Eric Smith.