Still trying to fill the Normal People-shaped hole in your life? Your next Sally Rooney obsession just moved a step closer to reality.
The hugely anticipated TV adaptation of the author’s award-winning debut novel, Conversations with Friends, will come to the BBC some time next year — but the lead actors set to take part have now been confirmed.
Alison Oliver — an emerging talent who, coincidentally, graduated from the same drama school as Normal People star Paul Mescal — will take the role of Frances, while Sasha Lane (American Honey, The Miseducation of Cameron Post) is set to appear as Bobbi. Jemima Kirke (Sex Education, Girls) steps in as Melissa.
Meanwhile, Joe Alwyn, who’s known for his parts in films including The Favourite and Harriet (as well, of course, as the much discussed subject of Taylor Swift’s Lover) will play Nick. His casting may well raise a few eyebrows, seeing as the book’s character is markedly older than the 21-year-old Frances, but Alwyn himself is only 29.
Filming for the show, which will recount the story of two intertwined couples, is set to take place later this year in Dublin, Belfast and other unconfirmed locations overseas.
Lenny Abrahamson, who directed Normal People to much acclaim, returns to do likewise with this upcoming production.
Piers Wenger, director of BBC Drama, said: “Lenny’s deep affinity for Sally’s writing and talent for finding actors to bring her fictional creations to life played a huge part in bringing Normal People so successfully to screen.
“In casting Alison, Sasha, Joe and Jemima, that same flair and instinct is in evidence and we can’t wait to see how they will bring Frances, Bobbi, Nick and Melissa to life.”
Normal People, which starred Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, was one of the most celebrated TV shows of 2020. It picked up four Emmy nominations and is currently in the running for two Golden Globes.
