Dollhouse Pictures has secured the screen option on Bri Lee's debut novel The Work, Deadline reported on 4 November 2026. The company landed the rights after negotiating with rights holder UTA.
Screenwriter Hannah Lehmann is creating the series, with Lee and Jessica Carrera attached as executive producers, according to Deadline. No broadcaster, cast or release date has been announced.
The team behind the adaptation
Dollhouse is a Sydney-based collective led by Rose Byrne, Krew Boylan, Shannon Murphy and Carrera, ArtsHub notes. Screen Australia is supporting development of the series.
Lehmann is the creator and director of the Snap original series Two Sides, per Deadline. It is a notable step from short-form mobile storytelling to what the outlets describe as a longform television drama.
Carrera said she has long admired Lee's writing, according to TV Tonight. Lee told the same outlet she is excited that the show has a team committed to making it properly gutsy, hella sexy, and seriously funny.
What The Work is, and where it came from
The Work was published by Allen & Unwin in 2024, Variety Australia notes. It follows Manhattan gallery owner Lally and Sydney antiquities appraiser Pat as their long-distance romance collides with art-world ambition.
ArtsHub reports the novel became a bestseller and was longlisted for the Indie Book Awards' debut fiction prize. Critics were divided, with some praising its energy and ambition and others feeling it tried to do too much.
Carrera told ArtsHub that she sees the book as being about what happens when the person you want most is also the one who costs you the most. For a verdict on the novel itself, want the full verdict?
Discussion
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Work by Bri Lee being adapted for TV?
Yes. Dollhouse Pictures has secured the screen option, with Hannah Lehmann creating the series, according to [Deadline](https://deadline.com/2026/11/dollhouse-pictures-the-work-bri-lee-tv-adaptation-1237212094/)'s 4 November 2026 report.
Who is creating the TV series of The Work?
Screenwriter Hannah Lehmann, creator and director of Snap original series Two Sides, is creating it. Bri Lee and Jessica Carrera are executive producers.
Who is behind Dollhouse Pictures?
The Sydney-based collective is led by Rose Byrne, Krew Boylan, Shannon Murphy and Jessica Carrera.
Is The Work worth reading before the adaptation arrives?
No release date or broadcaster has been announced, so there is no deadline. Our review of The Work covers the verdict on the book.
Is Screen Australia involved in The Work adaptation?
Yes, Screen Australia is supporting development of the series, according to [substack.com](https://newsandreviews.substack.com/p/okay-its-yesteryear-hot-take-time).
