House of the Dragon and The Crown actor Matt Smith has signed on to star in and executive produce The Death of Bunny Munro, a limited series adaptation of Nick Cave’s darkly comic novel of the same name.
The six-part series, written by Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) and to be directed by Isabella Eklöf (Industry, Holiday) is being produced by Clerkenwell Films (The End of the F***ing World, Misfits) in association with Sky Studios. The series is set to begin filming next Spring. Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW will carry the show in the U.K., with NBCUniversal Global Distribution handling international sales on behalf of Sky Studios. Sky is a subsidary of NBCUniversal parent company Comcast. Clerkenwell Films are wholly owned by BBC Studios.
Smith will play the titular role of Bunny Munro, a sex addict, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario whose life is derailed by his wife Libby’s suicide. Together with 9-year-old son Bunny Junior, he embarks on an increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two struggle to handle their grief. Bunny by trying to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior by talking to the ghost of his mother as he slowly realizes his father is a mess. Eklöf and Cave will also executive produce the series.
“Finally, someone with the courage to take on this unholy tale,” said Cave 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, in a statement, called Cave’s 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.”
Petra Fried, managing director of Clerkenwell Films said The Death of Bunny Munro is “a timely tale about masculinity, dark and twisted but also full of humor and humanity. Pete’s scripts brilliantly capture Nick’s creation, and we can’t wait to see Matt bring this singular anti-hero to life.”
The series producers said they are currently searching for a young actor to play Bunny Junior.
Matthew Mulot (Ghosts) is producing the series. Executive producers include commissioning editor Manpreet Dosanjh for Sky Studios, and Fried, Ed Macdonald and Emily Harrison for Clerkenwell Films. Matt Smith is repped by Maison Two, B-Side and UTA.
Matt Smith to Star in, Produce Nick Cave Adaptation ‘The Death of Bunny Munro’
