Matt Smith, best known for playing the eleventh Doctor, will lead a new adaptation of Nick Cave's black comedy novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, Sky has announced.
Bunny Munro (Smith) is a door-to-door beauty product salesman, self-professed womaniser and the last person you'd call on to father a son. Nonetheless, he finds himself burdened with nine-year-old Bunny Junior when his wife Libby takes her own life.
As they set out on a wild road trip across Southern England, the two grapple with their grief in very different ways. While Bunny flogs his products and attempts to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior passes the time by talking to his mother's ghost and doing anything to distract himself from the gradual realisation that his dad is a mess.
But, as he starts to fall apart, Bunny realises that he must change his ways to save his son from the outdated ideas of masculinity that have failed himself.
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."
Smith said of collaborating with Cave: “[It] feels like a great honour. [The Death of Bunny Munro] is 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."
Meanwhile the casting team have begun their search for "an exciting new talent" to play Bunny Junior.
The six-part series is written by Pete Jackson, who won a BAFTA for his 2022 drama Somewhere Boy, in which he tenderly told another tragic story about a father and son.
Smith said of Jackson's writing: "[He] has delivered such wonderful scripts, both funny and heart breaking in equal measure. I can’t wait to collaborate with Isabella and begin the journey with everyone at Clerkenwell.”
Isabella Eklöf (Industry) will direct the series, while Clerkenwell Films, known for its distinctive slate, is producing in association with Sky Studios. Cave, Smith, Jackson and Eklöf are also serving as Executive Producers alongside Manpreet Dosanjh.
The Death of Bunny Munro will begin filming in spring 2024 across the south of England.
