Hulu orders series based on Sally Rooney's book Normal People
Fresh off strong buzz for her second book, Hulu has given a straight-to-series order for an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
The Ireland-set love story about mismatched pair Marianne and Connell will be adapted to a 12-episode, half-hour series by Rooney along with writers Alice Birch and Mark O’Rowe. Half the episodes will be directed by Lenny Abramason (Room) and the other half will be directed by Hettie McDonald (Doctor Who). The story follows them from the end of their school days in small-town Ireland to their undergraduate years at Trinity College in Dublin.
Marianne and Connell will be played by Daisy Edgar-Jones (War of the Worlds) and newcomer Paul Mescal, respectively.
Rooney told EW earlier this year that she was thrilled to be focusing more on these People. Said the author, “I’m still fond of these characters, and that’s a good thing, because I’m having to spend a lot of time with them again!”
Abramason also said of working on the project, “I had decided after Room and The Little Stranger that it was time to step away from literary adaptations. But when this came along, I just loved it so much I couldn’t say no. I really couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s hard to say how she achieves this sense of depth and insight that she does.”
The Hulu/BBC Three series begins shooting next week and will air in 2020.
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