ReelShort is adapting Sierra Simone’s queer, erotic Lyonesse Trilogy as a vertical drama, marking a bold step for a format often associated with short, mobile-first entertainment. The modern retelling of Tristan and Isolde centres on a consensual relationship between three people, and Simone says she was impressed that ReelShort embraced the story’s queer and explicitly sensual elements rather than seeking to soften them.

Simone wanted the adaptation to preserve its focus on desire, physical intimacy and queer perspectives, including behind-the-camera representation and actors capable of conveying the novels’ unspoken emotions. The series will use the vertical-drama model, generally consisting of around 60 episodes lasting one or two minutes each, with Nico Tortorella, Jake Lively and Katelyn Rose playing the central trio; Rose was initially unfamiliar with the format.