By Jordan Pinto
In a significant move for the Australian screen industry, the acclaimed independent production house Dollhouse Pictures has officially secured the screen rights to The Work, the bestselling novel by Australian author Bri Lee. The company, co-founded by industry heavyweights including Rose Byrne and Shannon Murphy, is currently developing the project as a prestige television series, marking another ambitious step in their mission to bring nuanced, female-led narratives to global audiences.
The adaptation represents a strategic intersection of high-stakes drama and critical social commentary, promising to dissect the cutthroat mechanisms of the contemporary art world. With the backing of Screen Australia and a creative team that bridges literary prestige and television craft, the project is already being positioned as a tentpole production for the Australian independent sector.
Main Facts: A High-Stakes Adaptation
At its core, The Work—published by Allen & Unwin—is a sprawling narrative of ambition, desire, and the moral compromises inherent in elite creative industries. The television adaptation aims to preserve the geographical and emotional scope of Lee’s novel, which pivots between the high-pressure art scenes of New York, Brisbane, and Sydney.
The story centers on two protagonists: Lally, a fiercely driven employee at a prestigious New York art gallery, and Patrick, a junior antiques appraiser based in Sydney. Their long-distance relationship serves as the narrative anchor, but it is the friction between their personal desires and their professional trajectories that provides the series with its dramatic tension. As their worlds collide, the narrative delves into the complexities of power, privilege, and the often-unspoken rules of the art market.
Screenwriter Hannah Lehmann, known for her ability to weave intricate character studies with propulsive plotting, has been tapped to adapt the novel. The project will see author Bri Lee and Dollhouse Pictures’ Jessica Carrera serving as executive producers, ensuring the spirit of the source material remains intact throughout the transition from page to screen.
Chronology: From Bestseller to Development
The journey of The Work from a critical and commercial literary success to a television development project reflects the rapid evolution of the Australian screen sector’s appetite for local intellectual property.
- 2015: Dollhouse Pictures is founded by a creative quartet consisting of actress Rose Byrne, writer/actor Krew Boylan, director Shannon Murphy, and producer Jessica Carrera. The company is established with the explicit goal of championing female voices and stories that push boundaries.
- Publication: Bri Lee’s The Work is published by Allen & Unwin. It is met with widespread acclaim, quickly climbing the Australian bestseller lists and drawing praise for its incisive look at the art world.
- Development Phase: Following the book’s success, Dollhouse Pictures identifies the title as a key project for its development slate. Negotiations for the screen rights are concluded, and the company begins the process of assembling a creative team.
- Screen Australia Involvement: Recognizing the cultural and commercial value of the project, Screen Australia steps in to provide development funding, a vital step that allows the production team to refine the pilot script and develop the broader series bible.
- Current Status: As of late 2026, the series is firmly in development. Hannah Lehmann is actively working on the adaptation, and the production team is preparing for the next phase of the project, which includes casting and potential network/platform partnerships.
Supporting Data: The Art World as a Narrative Catalyst
The choice to adapt The Work is rooted in its unique thematic appeal. Contemporary art, while often perceived as a niche subject, has become a fertile ground for high-end television series that explore wealth inequality and the performative nature of success.
By centering the narrative on the professional experiences of Lally and Patrick, the series touches upon several key cultural pillars:
- The Globalization of Taste: By splitting the narrative between New York and the Australian hubs of Sydney and Brisbane, the show highlights the disparity between the "center" of the art world and its regional outposts.
- Professional Ethics: The show promises to interrogate the blurred lines between appraisal and manipulation. In the world of high-end antiques and contemporary curation, truth is often a commodity—a theme that provides a natural hook for a serialized drama.
- Gender and Power: Dollhouse Pictures has built its reputation on projects that center women in positions of ambition. Lally’s journey is expected to be a central pillar of this, as the show examines the specific gendered expectations within the gallery system.
For Dollhouse Pictures, the project fits perfectly into a portfolio that values aesthetic polish and emotional depth. The company’s founders have collectively worked on some of the most lauded films and series of the last decade, and their combined industry reach is expected to attract significant talent to the project.
Official Responses and Creative Vision
The collaboration between Dollhouse Pictures and Bri Lee has been characterized by a shared vision for the show’s tone.
"We are incredibly excited to be bringing The Work to the screen," said Jessica Carrera, speaking on behalf of the Dollhouse team. "Bri has written a story that is both deeply personal and globally resonant. It touches on the things we are most interested in: how we balance our ambition with our love, and how we maintain our integrity in industries that are designed to reward the opposite."
Bri Lee, who is taking a hands-on role as an executive producer, has expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership. "Watching the characters move from the page to a visual medium is a unique process," Lee noted. "Working with Hannah and the Dollhouse team has been a collaborative experience. They understand the nuances of the characters and the specific, often cynical, beauty of the art world that I wanted to capture."
Screen Australia’s support for the project is also a significant indicator of the show’s potential. As part of their mandate to bolster the local production industry, the agency has prioritized projects that possess "export potential"—stories that are distinctly Australian in character but possess themes that travel well to international markets. The Work, with its international setting and focus on a universally recognizable industry, fits this mandate precisely.
Implications: The Future of Dollhouse Pictures
The development of The Work is more than just another title on a production slate; it serves as a testament to the growth of Dollhouse Pictures as a powerhouse in the Australian media landscape. Since its inception in 2015, the company has managed to maintain a high-quality, curator-led approach to production.
Expanding the Australian Footprint
For years, the Australian screen industry has struggled with the perception that its stories were "too small" for the global stage. Dollhouse Pictures has consistently debunked this by selecting material that is internationally relevant. By setting The Work across two continents, the production is naturally positioned for international co-production.
The Rise of the "Auteur" Production House
Dollhouse is uniquely defined by its leadership. Rose Byrne, Krew Boylan, Shannon Murphy, and Jessica Carrera bring diverse skill sets—from performance and directing to logistical production and script development. This "multi-hyphenate" leadership style is increasingly common in the modern independent television landscape, where the line between "talent" and "executive" is blurring.
Industry Impact
The industry is watching the project closely for two primary reasons:
- The "Prestige TV" Benchmark: If The Work succeeds in capturing the sophisticated tone of the novel, it could set a new benchmark for how Australian companies adapt literary fiction.
- Market Sustainability: As streaming platforms demand more original content, independent production houses like Dollhouse are becoming the lifeblood of the industry. Their ability to secure high-value rights and develop them with the support of government bodies like Screen Australia ensures a healthy, self-sustaining ecosystem for local creatives.
Conclusion: A Portrait of Ambition
As development continues, The Work promises to be a quintessential portrait of modern ambition. By exploring the collision of the art market with the complexities of human relationships, the series is set to join a growing list of Australian productions that prove that the most compelling stories are often those that look beneath the surface of the professional world.
For the audience, the wait for the series will be an exercise in anticipation. With a creative team that has already demonstrated a keen eye for character-driven drama, the adaptation of Bri Lee’s bestseller stands as one of the most promising upcoming projects in the Australian television pipeline. Whether the series will ultimately capture the exact, cold-eyed intensity of the art world remains to be seen, but with Dollhouse Pictures at the helm, the foundation is undeniably strong.
The project not only honors the source material but also pushes the boundaries of what is expected from local drama, signaling a bright future for the intersection of Australian literature and the global streaming market. As the industry pivots toward more nuanced, character-led narratives, The Work serves as a reminder that the best dramas are those that find the profound in the everyday struggles of the ambitious.
