Avatar Entertainment is expanding its scripted slate with a new international thriller, and the latest move could attract serious attention in the TV & Video space. The company has secured rights to Vicente Vallés’ novel Hunting the Executioner, setting up an eight-part adaptation that aims to bring globe-trotting espionage, secret agents, and high-stakes suspense to the small screen.
The project, based on the Spanish novel La Caza del Ejecutor, marks another sign that Avatar Entertainment is leaning further into premium literary adaptations with global appeal. With no streamer or broadcaster attached yet, the package is still in development, but the creative team already suggests strong ambitions for an internationally marketable action-thriller series.
Avatar Entertainment bets on Hunting the Executioner
At the center of the announcement is Hunting the Executioner, a spy story built for serialized television. The plot follows an American CIA operative who teams up with a Spanish intelligence agent to track down a deadly assassin targeting Western spies across multiple countries. That setup gives the adaptation plenty of room for:
- Fast-paced international intrigue
- Dual-lead character dynamics
- Serialized mystery and conspiracy arcs
- Action set pieces across global locations
For viewers, Hunting the Executioner sounds like the kind of cross-border espionage drama that blends the procedural appeal of a manhunt with the cinematic scale of a modern spy franchise. For producers, it offers a concept that can travel well across markets, particularly as streamers continue to invest in multilingual and internationally resonant thrillers.
Who is behind the Hunting the Executioner adaptation?
Avatar Entertainment has brought in screenwriters Borja Moreno and Pablo Riquelme Cuartero to adapt Hunting the Executioner for television. The pair are already associated with the company and have prior experience working on adaptations tied to Vallés’ material.
Avatar founder Larry Robinson will executive produce the series. Robinson has described the project as a premium action thriller with worldwide potential, reinforcing the company’s intent to position Hunting the Executioner as a globally viable scripted property rather than a niche regional production.
Why the creative team matters
This development gains extra weight because Vallés’ earlier novel, Operation Kazan, had previously been set up at Universal Television before eventually going into turnaround. Moreno and Riquelme Cuartero were also connected to that project, which means this team is not starting from scratch when it comes to translating Vallés’ politically charged, internationally minded storytelling for television.
That history may help Hunting the Executioner avoid common adaptation pitfalls, especially when balancing action, geopolitics, and character development in an episodic format.
Why Hunting the Executioner fits today’s TV market
The timing for Hunting the Executioner is notable. International thrillers remain one of television’s most exportable genres, particularly when they combine recognizable espionage elements with distinctive local perspectives. A CIA agent and a Spanish secret agent operating across borders gives the series a built-in transatlantic angle that could appeal to buyers in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.
Several market trends work in the project’s favor:
- Audience demand for spy thrillers: Viewers continue to respond to conspiracies, intelligence operations, and morally complex heroes.
- Global storytelling: International casts and settings are now an asset, not a barrier.
- Book-to-screen momentum: Adapted IP remains a safer bet for financiers and distributors.
- Limited-series structure: An eight-part run is ideal for tightly paced prestige storytelling.
If handled well, Hunting the Executioner could sit comfortably alongside other upscale action dramas that mix political stakes with binge-worthy suspense.
Vicente Vallés brings journalistic credibility to Hunting the Executioner
One reason Hunting the Executioner stands out is its author. Vicente Vallés is not simply a novelist; he is also a veteran Spanish journalist and a prominent evening news anchor on Antena 3. That background often brings a sharper understanding of power, diplomacy, intelligence narratives, and media framing—qualities that can elevate a thriller beyond standard genre beats.
Writers with newsroom experience often inject greater realism into political and espionage fiction. In the case of Hunting the Executioner, that may translate into a series with more grounded geopolitical tension and a stronger sense of how international crises unfold behind the scenes.
Avatar Entertainment’s broader adaptation strategy
The Hunting the Executioner deal also fits into a larger pattern for Avatar Entertainment. The company has recently been linked to several rights acquisitions spanning fiction and biography, including works by Katy Hogan, Robert Enright, and Mary Dearborn. That suggests Avatar is actively building a development pipeline rooted in recognizable literary properties.
For independent production companies, this strategy makes sense. Adaptation rights can offer:
- Pre-existing audience awareness
- Clearer pitch materials for networks and streamers
- A stronger value proposition for co-production partners
- Franchise potential if a first season performs well
Within that slate, Hunting the Executioner appears especially commercial because it combines espionage, romance-coded chemistry, and serial mystery in a format well suited for international sales.
What happens next for Hunting the Executioner?
At this stage, Hunting the Executioner does not yet have a streamer or network attached. That means the next steps will likely include script development, packaging, and buyer conversations. Key variables to watch include casting, language approach, shooting locations, and whether the show is designed primarily in English, Spanish, or a hybrid format.
Those choices will shape how broadly the project can be marketed. A bilingual or multilingual approach could strengthen authenticity while also tapping into the continued rise of international co-productions.
For now, Hunting the Executioner remains one of the more intriguing spy adaptation announcements in the current TV development cycle, especially for fans of action-heavy serialized storytelling.
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Conclusion
With an eight-part adaptation now in motion, Hunting the Executioner has the ingredients of a polished international thriller: literary source material, an experienced writing team, and a concept built around espionage, danger, and global stakes. If Avatar Entertainment lands the right platform and execution, Hunting the Executioner could become a standout addition to the next wave of premium TV spy dramas.
