'To The Bone' Director Marti Noxon Has A New Show

Marti Noxon seems to have found her artistic niche. Over the past decade, she's carved her own place in Hollywood, and she has a knack for crafting complex female stories. She's worked on hit series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad Men, and produced original series like UnREAL and Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce. While both shows were successes, it was her first feature-length film, To The Bone, that put her work in the spotlight. On July 29, AMC announced that Noxon will adapt Dietland, a 2015 novel by Sarah Walker, reported Entertainment Weekly.

The book follows Plum Kettle, a ghostwriter for a teen magazine, as she is taken in by an underground feminist group that seeks justice against the beauty industry. The show is a logical step forward for Noxon. To The Bone, which she wrote in addition to directing, was based on her personal experiences with an eating disorder, and while the movie was not without controversy, it started real conversations about the pressure society puts on women. In UnREAL and Girlfriend's Guide, she also tackles dieting, dating, and societal beauty standards. It will be exciting for Noxon to explore these themes further, and Walker's satirical revenge-fantasy seems like the perfect vehicle to do so.

Charlie Collier, president of AMC TV, Sundance TV, and AMC Studios, issued an enthusiastic statement regarding the project, according to EW:

"Day in and day out, we work to refine our search for unique voices and never-before-seen worlds. It is in that context that we proudly bring Marti Noxon back to AMC for the first time since her work on Mad Men, now as the executive producer, writer and showrunner of Dietland. This series, populated by unforgettable characters and unique storytelling approaches, will focus a wickedly entertaining lens on issues as diverse and divisive as dieting, dating, beauty and the many societal expectations that continue to dominate our culture and consciousness. We are so proud to be working with Marti, her team and Skydance on this topical, funny, relevant and poignant story. Welcome back to AMC, Marti!”

The 10-episode series will be both written and executive produced by Noxon. According to EW, other EPs and writers include David Ellison and Dana Goldberg (Terminator Genisys, Mission Impossible: Rogue), Marcy Ross, Maria Grasso, Bonnie Curtis, Julie Lynn, and Jackie Hoyt. It was picked up by AMC and will be produced in conjunction with AMC Studios and Skydance Television. It has yet to be cast, but is slated to premiere in 2018.

Noxon also reportedly signed a three-year, seven-figure deal with Skydance, an independent production company. During that time she is contracted to adapt the novel into a dramatic series, and is expected to create new projects as well. "Marti is a brilliant storyteller and a true creative force as a showrunner with an outstanding track record of creating compelling and memorable shows that are beloved by audiences and critics alike,” Skydance TV president Marcy Ross told The Hollywood Reporter in February of 2016.

Noxon has a an impressive resume, and it will be exciting to watch her take on a project like Dietland. The series is expected to be a timely critique of the beauty industry, and female characters will be at its center. She is a director, producer, and writer in television who has put so many female-centric stories into mainstream television in recent years, so Noxon seems the perfect fit to tell this nuanced story.