Jane Seymour on the ‘Changing’ Industry After SAG-AFTRA Strike and Upcoming Book-To-Film Project (Exclusive)

Jane Seymour is getting back on the saddle.

The actress, 72, will co-produce the upcoming film adaptation of author Christy Cashman’s debut novel, The Truth About Horses, which was published in August from SparkPress.

“I’m feeling really excited about it,” Seymour tells PEOPLE. “We’re going to be extremely hands-on.”

Seymour first got involved with the project while filming her series Harry Wild in Dublin. Guest star Alan Devine had mentioned Cashman’s teen theater workshop, YouthINK, to her on set. Seymour visited the workshop and “just connected” with Cashman, and was “blown away” after reading her book.

“[Christy] asked me if I’d come and do a Q&A with her at the Harvard Book Store in Boston. And I was single and free at the time, so I said, “Sure, I’ll come and do it. Why not?,” says Seymour, who is now dating musician John Zambetti. “It was a ridiculous book signing. It was around the block. It was crazy. And I realized that this was really something extraordinary.”

Seymour discusses the film adaptation at end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which concluded on Nov. 9 after 118 days. The former Bond Girl admits that she thinks “the whole industry’s changed” due to both the strike and the pandemic.

“I’m hearing on the grapevine that the channels, streaming channels…[they’re] changing as to what they want to do, what they feel they can sell and where it can go,” she says. “That’s a very big part of it. You can’t just make something and not know who the end user is. You need to figure that one out.”

The Truth About Horses follows a young girl, Reese, who is dealing with the loss of her horse, Trusted Treasure, after her family sells him, as well as the fractured relationship with her father that happens as a result. Seymour told Cashman, who has also written books for children, that she wanted to bring the Horses movie adaptation “to the finish line.”

“That’s what I love about Jane,” Cashman, who spent nine years writing the novel, says, reflecting on their collaboration. “She said ‘Yes,’ as busy as she is, as many asks as she gets…in my life, I’m having to learn from her to say yes, no matter how busy I am, because that’s when doors open.”

Seymour has previously told PEOPLE that she is now “choosier” about the roles she accepts, but with The Truth About Horses, she feels there is something special. Working with Cashman has allowed her to see that “the arts are what have given me the most joy in my life.”

“Once we get it into the right combination of people, it’s something I think we’ll be able to do together and enjoy,” Seymour says. “Hopefully, it’ll get to the eyeballs we’re looking for.”

source: people.com