RTÉ to air Element Pictures’ Conversations with Friends

RTÉ today announced that it will air the much-anticipated Element Pictures production of Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends next year.

Following the outstanding success of Normal People, the award-winning production company today announced the casting for the BBC and Hulu TV adaptation, in association with RTÉ, of Sally Rooney’s debut literary sensation, ‘Conversations with Friends’.

Alison Oliver, an emerging talent from Lir Academy (whose graduates include Normal People’s Paul Mescal) will play Frances, Sasha Lane (American Honey, The Miseducation of Cameron Post) will star as Bobbi, Joe Alwyn (The Favourite, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk) as Nick and Jemima Kirke (Sex Education, Girls) as Melissa, in this unique series that is both a complex coming of age drama and a very modern love story.

Element Pictures is once again collaborating with director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Alice Birch who will work alongside writers Mark O’Halloran (Rialto), Meadhbh McHugh (Asking For It) and Susan Soon He Stanton (Succession) on the 12-part drama for BBC Three in partnership with Hulu, made in association with RTÉ.

Filming will take place this year in Dublin, Belfast and international locations yet to be confirmed, with the Oscar-nominated director at the helm of Normal People,  Lenny Abrahamson (Room, The Little Stranger, Frank) returning and sharing the directorial duties with Leanne Welham (Pili, His Dark Materials).

Conversations with Friends follows Frances (Alison Oliver), a 21 year old college student, as she navigates a series of relationships that force her to confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.

Frances is observant, cerebral and sharp. Her ex-girlfriend, now best friend, Bobbi (Sasha Lane) is self-assured, outspoken and compelling. Though they broke up three years ago, Frances and Bobbi are virtually inseparable and perform spoken word poetry together in Dublin. It’s at one of their shows that they meet Melissa (Jemima Kirke), an older writer, who is fascinated by the pair.

Bobbi and Frances start to spend time with Melissa and her husband, Nick (Joe Alwyn), a handsome but reserved actor. While Melissa and Bobbi flirt with each other openly, Nick and Frances embark on an intense, secret affair that is surprising to them both. Soon the affair begins to test the bond between Frances and Bobbi, forcing Frances to reconsider her sense of self, and the friendship she holds so dear.

Lenny Abrahamson, Executive Producer and Director, comments: “I feel so excited to be collaborating with four such superb actors to bring Sally’s brilliant novel to the screen. Over the last few months it has been a privilege to work alongside Element Pictures and our extraordinary team of writers to get the scripts to a point where we all feel so excited to start shooting. I’ll be joined by a world class crew (many of whom worked on Normal People) and supporting cast and I’m particularly happy to have Leanne Welham come on board. I’ve been an admirer of her work for a long time and I have no doubt she will bring great skill and subtlety to the episodes she directs.”

Ed Guiney, Executive Producer and Company Director of Element Pictures, adds: “Alison, Sasha, Joe and Jemima are the dream cast to lead Conversations With Friends and all of us at Element are so excited about the incredible scripts from our amazing team of writers which we have been developing with the oversight of the brilliant Lenny Abrahamson. We can’t wait to start filming with Lenny, Leanne and our wonderful cast and crew to bring Sally’s extraordinary novel to the screen.” 

Dermot Horan, RTÉ’s Director of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, said: ‘Normal People was such a phenomenal hit on RTÉ last spring, and has broken all records on the RTÉ Player. We’re so delighted to once again work with Element, on this new exciting new production.’

Conversations with Friends is an Element Pictures production for BBC Three and Hulu, in association with RTÉ, and was commissioned by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, and Fiona Campbell Controller of BBC Three. The 12×30 drama has been adapted from the debut novel by Sally Rooney, who is on board as Executive Producer. Further executive producers are Ed Guiney (Normal People, The Favourite, Room, The Lobster), Emma Norton (Normal People, Rosie, The Souvenir: Part II) and Andrew Lowe (Normal People, The Favourite) for Element Pictures, Rose Garnett (Normal People, The Favourite, The Souvenir) and Tommy Bulfin (Normal People, Line of Duty, Peaky Blinders) for the BBC and Lenny Abrahamson. Catherine Magee (Normal People, Resistance, Rebellion) is series producer and Jeanie Igoe (Ramy, Miss Juneteenth, The Green Knight) is producer.  Alice Birch, Mark O’Halloran, Meadhbh McHugh and Susan Soon He Stanton have adapted the novel for TV.

Following Rooney’s critically acclaimed debut novel ‘Conversations with Friends’, she was awarded 2017’s Sunday Times Writer of the Year Award.  Her literary phenomenon of the following year, Normal People, was adapted for TV by Element Pictures, alongside Sally Rooney, Alice Birch and Mark O’Rowe. The Emmy and TCA-nominated, RTS-winning show starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal received huge critical acclaim and high viewership figures on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player last spring.

Conversations with Friends will air next year on BBC, Hulu, and RTÉ.