Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale, Top of the Lake) is teaming with BBC America and Annapurna Television to develop a limited series adaptation of period drama Fever based on Mary Beth Keane’s novel, with Moss set to star. Moss, who additionally holds the rights to the novel, will also serve as an executive producer on the project.

Simon & Schuster Canada

Fever tells the story of the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever who became known as “Typhoid Mary” as she spread typhoid across the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.

Moss acquired the original rights to Keane’s book and first sent the material to Phil Morrison (Enlightened, Junebug), who signed on to the project as director and executive producer. Robin Veith (The Expanse, True Blood) is currently set to pen the adaptation and will also serve as an executive producer alongside Moss, Morrison, and Annapurna’s Sue Naegle and Megan Ellison.

“I’m so honored to be working with the incredible team of collaborators we have pulled together with Phil, Robin, BBC America and Annapurna. I look forward to telling this story about one of the most infamous women in America, ‘Typhoid Mary,’ a woman whose true tale has never been told. She was an immigrant in turn of the century New York, a time of huge change and progress in America. She was incredibly unique, stubborn, ambitious and in fierce denial of any wrongdoing until her death where she lived out her days imprisoned on an island just off of the Bronx in NY. She is incredibly complicated, something I seem to enjoy playing,” said Moss.

Moss stars as Offred in Hulu’s praised original series The Handmaid’s Tale based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, and also as Robin Griffin in Jane Campion and Gerard Lee’s Top of the Lake, which just had its Season 2 premiere in Cannes.

Moss is repped by WME and Ribisi Entertainment Group. Veith is also with WME while Morrison is repped by UTA and Management 360.