Where Normal People leads, Conversations With Friends will follow. Hulu announced today that it has cast the four leads for its TV adaptation of Sally Rooney's debut novel, including Joe Alwyn
as Nick and newcomer Alison Oliver as Frances. News of the 12-part series follows the wild success of miniseries Normal People, which premieredto critical acclaim and socially-distanced fan fervor in April 2020 before garnering several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Like the story of Marianne and Connell, Conversations with Friends follows a set of angsty Irish millennials who are drawn into complicated romantic and class dynamics. Based on its sensual source material and the fact that most of the creative team from Normal People is returning, consider this your next steamy must-watch. "I'm confident we're going to find fresh and interesting ways of dramatizing the novel's dynamics, and I'm excited to watch the process take shape," Rooney said in a statement when BBC announced the adaptation in February 2020.
Ahead, everything we know about the show—and Twitter's thoughts on casting.
The series will be based on Rooney's 2017 novel.
Rooney has become an author-to-watch thanks to the breakout success of her first two novels detailing the coming-of-age experience. Her first book, Conversations, follows Dublin university students Frances and Bobbi—best friends and former lovers who perform poetry together. Their tight-knit dynamic is threatened by the bond they forge with an older married couple—journalist Melissa and actor Nick.
Frances and Nick's relationship secretly becomes romantic. Bobbi finds herself defending Melissa and distancing herself from Frances. And both friends take sides in the other couple's marriage, to the detriment of their own relationship. There's themes of class differences, political philosophy, and sexuality, as well as more spoken word poetry than you bargained for.
Frances will be played by newcomer Alison Oliver, while American Honey breakout Sasha Lane will play Bobbi. Joe Alwyn stars as Nick and Jemima Kirke plays Melissa.
Here's how Hulu describes the plot:
Conversations with Friends follows Frances, a 21 year old college student, as she navigates a series of relationships that force her to confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time. Frances is observant, cerebral and sharp. Her ex-girlfriend, now best friend, Bobbi is self-assured, outspoken and compelling. Though they broke up three years ago, Frances and Bobbi are virtually inseparable and perform spoken word poetry together in Dublin. It’s at one of their shows that they meet Melissa, and older writer, who is fascinated by the pair. Bobbi and Frances start to spend time with Melissa and her husband, Nick, a handsome but reserved actor. While Melissa and Bobbi flirt with each other openly, Nick and Frances embark on an intense secret affair that is surprising to them both. Soon the affair begins to test the bond between Frances and Bobbi, forcing Frances to reconsider her sense of self, and the friendship she holds so dear.
Hulu is adapting the book with the same creative team as Normal People.
If you found yourself addicted to the Normal People series, you're in luck. Several of the directors, producers, and writers from that project are returning to adapt Conversations. Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson (Room) will return to helm several episodes, as well as writer Alice Birch, and executive producer Ed Guiney, and Rooney herself as executive producer.
New to the project are Leanne Welham, who will direct alongside Abrahamson, and writers Mark O’Halloran, Meadhbh McHugh, and Susan Soon He Stanton joining Birch.
“I feel so excited to be collaborating with four such superb actors to bring Sally’s brilliant novel to the screen,” Abrahamson said in a statement. “Over the last few months it has been a privilege to work alongside Element Pictures and our extraordinary team of writers to get the scripts to a point where we all feel so excited to start shooting. I’ll be joined by a world class crew (many of whom worked on Normal People) and supporting cast and I’m particularly happy to have Leanne Welham come on board. I’ve been an admirer of her work for a long time and I have no doubt she will bring great skill and subtlety to the episodes she directs.”
However, with most of the Normal People team turning their attention to a new project, this means season 2 of the hit romantic drama is likely on hold. During an interview with Hello!magazine, Guiney confirmed, "[Conversations With Friends is] what we'll be turning our attention to next. But maybe down the line we'll come back to Connell and Marianne." In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said the new adaptation will be "a cousin of Normal People in a way, but it's also quite different."
The series will premiere on Hulu in 2022.
Conversations with Friends will begin shooting in Dublin and Belfast this year.
While you wait, catch up with the novel and binge-watch Normal People to get your Sally Rooney fix.
This post will be updated.