When we all finished binge-watching Normal People, there wasn't much to fill the void (although thankfully Bridgerton and its myriad sex scenes (opens in new tab) was there to help for a brief spell). But nothing captured our hearts quite like the angsty, messy, often sultry Irish story that was filled with complex characters that we immediately fell in love with.
Happily, that is all about to change as Sally Rooney’s first coming-of-age novel, Conversations with Friends, is getting its very own series—and the cast has just been revealed.
The BBC Three and Hulu adaptation is being directed by Lenny Abrahamson, who also brought us Normal People. The 12-part series will follow two female university students in Dublin: Frances, the intelligent, artsy poet, and her attractive and outgoing friend/ex-girlfriend Bobbi.
The two perform at spoken word gigs around Dublin and meet Melissa, an older, married photographer who befriends them and introduces them to her charming actor husband Nick and their circle of creative friends. Although Frances and Melissa flirt, it is Frances and Nick who have an affair, which as you can imagine leads to a lot of drama.
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Meet the cast of Conversations with Friends. Based on the award-winning debut novel by Sally Rooney, #ConversationswithFriends is coming soon to @hulu and @bbcthree!- Alison Oliver as "Frances"- Sasha Lane as "Bobbi"- Joe Alwyn as "Nick"- Jemima Kirke as "Melissa" pic.twitter.com/jra2GxmfSzFebruary 17, 2021
Much like the pitch-perfect casting of Daisy Edgar-Jones (opens in new tab) as Marianne and Paul Mescal (opens in new tab) as Connell in Normal People, Conversations with Friends is promising us an equally dreamy cast.
Taking on the lead role of Frances is Alison Oliver, a new star who actually went to the same drama school as Paul Mescal—that’s all the convincing we need to know she’ll be great! Sasha Lane, known for her role in American Honey, will be bringing to life the charming and beautiful Bobbi.
Girls star Jemima Kirke will be starring as Melissa and Joe Alwyn, known for his role in The Favourite and as Taylor Swift (opens in new tab)'s IRL main squeeze, will be playing Nick, Melissa's husband. Together, they will form two parts of the messy love triangle that includes Frances.
🙏🏽🥺dreams coming true https://t.co/CNqjFdeIYWFebruary 17, 2021
Conversations with Friends will begin filming in Dublin this year and is already looking to be a success for the BBC. Normal People sent the world into a frenzy and earned several nominations at high-profile award shows (opens in new tab), including the Golden Globes and the Emmys.
And there's more good news for Sally Rooney fans—her third book, Beautiful World, Where Are You, is also set for release in September. We know what we'll be reading this fall.
