Nick Cave‘s 2009 darkly comic novel The Death of Bunny Munro is being adapted into a limited television series starring and produced by Matt Smith (Doctor Who, House of the Dragon, The Crown). Via The Hollywood Reporter, Smith will play the title character.
Here’s the book synopsis: “Set adrift by his wife’s suicide and struggling to keep a grip on reality, Bunny Munro does the only thing he can think of: with his young son in tow, he hits the road. To his son, waiting patiently in the car while his father peddles beauty wares and quickies to lonely housewives in the south of England, Bunny is a hero, larger than life. But Bunny himself, haunted by what might be his wife’s ghost, seems only dimly aware of his son’s existence.”
“Finally, someone with the courage to take on this unholy tale,” Cave wrote in a statement. “I am thrilled that Sky and Clerkenwell Films are bringing Bunny to life, in all his flawed glory, and I can think of nobody better than Matt Smith to play him.”
Smith calls the novel, “a brilliant exploration of love, grief, and chaos. At its heart a deep, difficult, and tender story about a father and son, coping with loss and change.”
The series adaptation is being written by Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy), directed by Isabella Eklöf (Industry, Holiday) and produced by Clerkenwell Films (The End of the F***ing World, Misfits) and Sky Television. Filming is set to begin in the spring.
Nick Cave was on a solo tour earlier this year and the documentary about his old band The Birthday Party is available to stream.