Sally Rooney's sensational second novel Normal People was a runaway hit across the world. Naturally, when news of a big TV adaptation dropped, excitement reached fever pitch and we had many speculations of what the award-winning book of a generation would look like on screen. Would Connell look like our own personal Connells? Would Marianne hold the same presence that radiated from off of the pages of Rooney's book? Would the bittersweet chemistry between them be just as magical beyond our imaginations and fully realized on the show?
There was pressure, anticipation and desperation to find out and now, months later, we have finally been put out of our misery. BBC and Hulu have given a few gorgeous (seriously gorgeous) images from the upcoming series and, oh, our hearts weren't ready.
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Over 12 30-minute episodes, we'll re-experience the complicated relationship between Marianne and Connell, who went to school in a small town in west Ireland before following each down an even rockier road at university in Dublin. The actors bringing our two protagonists to life are Daisy Edgar-Jones (War of the Worlds, Cold Feet) and newcomer Paul Mescal. Initial responses at Refinery29 UK HQ are various iterations of: "Delight!", "Quite spot on for me" and "PERFECTION".
If you're still familiar with the narrative, you'll remember that their love story takes us across Ireland and over to Italy, and the TV adaptation, which was co-written by Rooney, will follow suit. Directors Lenny Abrahamson (Room, The Little Stranger) and Hettie MacDonald are behind the camera. The show will first premiere on BBC Three before hitting Hulu in the states.
"I couldn’t be happier with the cast and team we’ve put together, and I’m very excited to watch them bringing new life to the story on screen," said Rooney when filming of her best-selling novel was announced over summer. Though readers' excitement has been satisfied for a little while with these images from the show, impatience for the televised release of one of the most popular modern love stories will probably be hitting its peak right about... now.
Sally Rooney's Normal People will be on Hulu in 2020.
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