There was a time before the Zara polka dot dress when you couldn’t leave the house without spotting Sally Rooney’s second bestselling novel, Normal People. It became an instant literary sensation after her debut Conversations With Friends launched the then 27-year-old to stardom. Many have since called her the "voice of her generation".
Normal People became a permanent fixture at book clubs, with many walking down the street, travelling on public transport and spending their lunch breaks speeding through the book as they became consumed by the heart-racing romance between two Dublin teenagers.
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And now, after months of aching anticipation, fans will be able to watch their two favourite Dublin teenagers fall in love on screen in an exclusive first-look trailer.
Just like the book, the series follows the intoxicating romance between Marianne and Connell, two teenagers from very different backgrounds, living in a small west Ireland town. They fall in love at school and later head off to Dublin’s Trinity College where their modern love story takes a turn as they struggle to navigate their very different social worlds.
The 50-second teaser starts with audio from Marianne's heartbreaking phone call to Connell as it cuts to the couple's most intimate moments, a steamy sex scene filled with so much tension you could cut it with a knife. SO HOT.
We also get an insight into the chemistry between the two rising stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (War of the Worlds, Cold Feet) and Paul Mescal as their relationship develops into a whirlwind romance, as well as a glimpse into the beautiful landscape of Ireland.
Directed by Irish Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson (Room, The Little Stranger, Frank) and award-winning director Hettie MacDonald (Howards End), the series was filmed in Dublin, Sligo and Italy.
"In Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, I feel I have found two young actors who can vividly capture Marianne and Connell and bring alive the profound and beautiful relationship at the centre of the story," Abrahamson teased last year. "It’s also lovely for me to be shooting in Ireland again and telling an Irish story after shooting abroad."
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Rooney, who has penned the adaptation alongside writers Alice Birch and Mark O’Rowe, was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2018 and Normal People was named 2019’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards.
Premiering in the spring, the 12-episode series will be shown on BBC Three, BBC One and Hulu in the US.
Check out the steamy trailer below.