Karin Slaughter’s books too ‘female centric’? Not any more, as author’s Pieces of Her becomes Netflix series with Toni Collette

American novelist whose stories focus on mature, resourceful women had her work rejected by TV executives once. Now Toni Collette is on Netflix in Pieces of Her

Finding a female executive producer and a female-led production company helped, Slaughter says, plus the fact ‘Netflix just hustled like hell to get it done’

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Toni Collette (left) as Laura Oliver and Bella Heathcote as Andy Oliver in Netflix series Pieces of Her, adapted from Karin Slaughter’s novel of the same name. Photo: Mark Rogers/Netflix

Published: 4:15am, 9 Mar 2022Updated: 4:47am, 9 Mar 2022

A decade ago, bestselling author Karin Slaughter was in talks to have one of her books turned into a possible TV series.

“I was in the room talking to the decision-makers and everybody seemed really excited,” she recalls. Later, though, the American’s agent said, “‘Nah. They passed.’ They told my agent that the story was too ‘female centric’.”

Netflix was just starting to stream original dramas and Orange is the New Black was a year away from airing. HBO’s Big Little Lies was five years away from fruition.

But once those shows got traction, interest in Slaughter’s books, which focus on strong, mature, resourceful women battling inner demons and terrible men, started to ratchet up in Hollywood.

Bella Heathcote as Andy Oliver in Pieces of Her. Photo: courtesy Of Netflix

She finally found the right partners: Netflix, executive producer Charlotte Stoudt (Fosse/Verdon, The Morning Show) and the female-run production company Made Up Stories, to name a few.