Sam Lavender has been named creative executive and executive producer at Java Road, the recently-launched production outfit created to adapt the works of novelist Lawrence Osborne.
The company was formed as a partnership between Osborne, Nicholas Simon of Bangkok-based Indochina Productions and Mike Goodridge of London-based Good Chaos.
Lavender will work with Osborne and the team on films and series based on novels including Beautiful Animals and The Glass Kingdom, as well as short stories and original screenplays.
Osborne wrote the novel The Ballad Of A Small Player which has been made into a film by Edward Berger and is set to banger theatres this week in advance of a worldwide Netflix release on October 29. Colin Farrell, Fala Chen and Tilda Swinton star in the film which was produced by Good Chaos.
London-based Lavender joins Java Road after a long career in the international film and TV industry. He was an executive and commissioner at Film4/Channel 4 from 2006 to 2019 before joining Motive Pictures and developing and executive producing the six-part series The Woman In The Wall for BBC and Showtime.
Since 2024 he has worked as an independent producer and EP and as an executive and consultant for Good Chaos and Amusement Park (All Quiet On The Western Front).
“I love Lawrence’s writing so this company is a dream to help build,” said Lavender. “Aside from his literary brilliance, his work is always an exciting prospect for adaptation; cinematic, deeply involving and grippingly told. This is going to be a special slate and it’s a great privilege to team up on it with Lawrence, Mike and Nick. I can’t wait to get started.”
Lavender’s film credits as executive producer include Rose Glass’ Saint Maud, Nick Rowland’s Calm With Horses, Bart Layton’s American Animals, Andrew Haigh’s Lean On Pete and 45 Years and Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer.
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