Nick Cave's novel The Death of Bunny Monro is set for a TV adaptation starring Matt Smith

British singer-songwriter Nick Cave's 2009 novel The Death of Bunny Monro will receive a limited series adaptation starring Matt Smith of House of the Dragon, Doctor Who, and The Crown, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Smith, who is also attached as producer for the project, is set to star in the titular role; a door-to-door beauty products salesman, who sets out on a cocaine-fuelled, gonzo roadtrip accompanied by his 9-year-old son, as he struggles to keep a grip on reality after the suicide of his wife.

Nick Cave at All Together Now 2022. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Swedish director and screenwriter Isabella Eklöf is set to direct and produce the series, alongside Smith and Cave. Eklöf's previous directorial efforts include the Danish film Holiday (2018) and the three-part short film Triptych (2007). Somewhere Boy writer Pete Jackson is adapting the book into a screenplay.

In a statement via The Hollywood Reporter, Cave said, “Finally, someone with the courage to take on this unholy tale. 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.”

In his own statement, Smith dubbed 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.”

Filming for the upcoming series is due to kick off next spring...