The BBC have released the first trailer for their upcoming adaption of Sally Rooney’s acclaimed novel Normal People. The 12-part series is set for release later this year and the script been worked on by Rooney personally.
The book follows Marianne and Connell, two young people from a small town in the west of Ireland, as they move on to university. From two very different backgrounds, their relationship shifts and changes over the years, the dynamics of their social standing constantly playing off against their love for one another.
image via vanity fair
The adaption stars relative newcomers Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal.
The trailer, released earlier today, features various clips of the pair throughout the series, with a phone call providing the soundtrack. Take a look below:
Normal People is the second novel from Rooney, who previously penned Conversations with Friends. The novel was a breakout of 2018, so popular that for a while it was difficult to take the subway or the bus without spotting it in somebody’s hand. BBC acquired the rights to a TV adaption in 2019 and filming commenced in May of last year.
Normal People will be released later this year on BBC Three in the UK and Hulu in the US.
Featured image via harper’s bazaar
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Winnie the Pooh Winnie the Pooh Tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff He’s Winnie the Pooh Winnie the Pooh Willy nilly silly old bear
Sorry, didn’t mean to get that stuck in your head. But its a good introduction to what was doubtlessly a massive childhood memory for us: Winnie the Pooh. The silly old bear has made quite the impact on children across the world, universally beloved by young and old alike. Although Winnie the Pooh’s books have been overshadowed by the Disney adaptations, they’re still lovely and cherished by millions for their warmth and simplistic yet surprisingly complicated philosophical musings.
image via Disney
First published on October 14th, 1926, the children’s book introduced the world to Winnie the Pooh and his colorful cast of companions: Piglet, Eyeore, Kanga and Roo, Owl, and Rabbit. Tigger is the sole exception, not being introduced until the book’s sequel, The House at Pooh Corner. The book was written by A.A. Milne, who drew inspiration for the character from his son, Christopher Robin, who was also put into the books more or less as himself. Winnie the Pooh was named after Christopher’s toy bear, who was named ‘Winnie’ for the Canadian black bear he saw at the London zoo and ‘Pooh’ a swan the family had met while on holiday. On the character’s name, the author was quoted as saying:
But his arms were so stiff … they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, and whenever a fly came and settled on his nose he had to blow it off. And I think – but I am not sure – that that is why he is always called Pooh.
image via wikipedia
Winnie the Pooh became a bestselling phenomenon upon release, with its sequel following its publication shortly after. It has been translated into dozens of languages, including Latin (the Latin translation made the New York Times bestseller’s list). The rights were licensed by Disney in the 60s, where Winnie the Pooh and his cast were featured in several cartoon features by Disney, before Disney acquired full rights from Milne’s estate in 2001.
In the stories, Pooh is characterized as being a bear of very little brain, being often slow witted but also thoughtful, kind, and steadfast to his friends. Overall, his main motivation is often honey, which he spells as ‘hunny’. Overall, he is kindhearted and very loyal to his friends, even the perpetually grumpy Eyeore.
image via Disney
Happy birthday to our favorite bear, with the publication of his very first book. What fond memories do you have of the bear of little brain and his friends? Tell us in the comments and maybe you can help introduce Pooh to the next generation as well!
You know the name. Sherlock Holmes is a pop culture icon, someone who everyone knows even if they haven’t read his books, seen his movies, or watched his numerous tv shows. He’s a focal point of British history and literature, having influenced dozens of fictional and even real detectives throughout his literary life. On this day (Oct. 14th), one of the seminal Holmes collections was published, entitled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of twelve short stories.
image via wikipedia
First featured in The Strand magazine, the stories were very popular and boosted the subscriptions to the magazine, allowing Sherlock Holme’s author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to demand increased payment with each story published. Sidney Paget illustrated all twelve of the stories that came to be featured in the Adventures collection, in time coming to best known for his artwork accompanying the series. The collection includes numerous famous Sherlock Holmes tales, such as A Case of Identity, The Red-Headed League, The Adventure with the Speckled Band, and A Scandal in Bohemia. The last one was especially notable for featuring the character of Irene Adler, who although only made on appearance in the Holmes canon nevertheless became a feature of numerous adaptations, such as the BBC show Sherlockstarring Benedict Cumberbatch.
Image via Wikipedia
The stories were well received upon their serialization, with critics describing them holding a ‘unique power’ and some even saying Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the best short story writer since Edgar Allen Poe. The stories themselves had been adapted frequently in other media, with many of the stories being featured in the Granda Television adaptation of the Holmes canon, which ran from 1984 to 1995. They were also adapted on the BBC Radio 4 program, which ran from 1990 to 1991. Elements, such as the previously noted Irene Adler, have of course being taken out and used as an overall influenced over numerous Holmes adaptations as well without specifically adapting a single story.
Image via Wikipedia
Happy birthday to this seminal collection of Sherlock Holmes tales! Crack open your volume if you own one and give these stories another read together. What’s your favorite short story featured here? Tell us in the comments!
His Dark Materialsis coming to HBO this fall. The show is a joint effort between HBO and the BBC, and stars Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen, James McAvoy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. In an interview with The Guardian, Ruth Wilson spoke highly of the show, noting:
His Dark Materials is perfect for television.
She went on to say that with Game of Thrones, HBO has proven that television is no longer film’s poorer sister. In fact, she noted books are inherently better for the small screen, saying you can really take your time with a book’s content as opposed to rushing through its contents in an hour and a half on the big screen.
There’s no difference anymore and in a way, if you’re going to tell a drama – which this is, as well as being fantasy – you’ve got more time. You have eight hours to explore that, rather than an hour and a half.
Image via the Guardian
She says the show ‘feels special’ and she is very hopeful about how it will be received by general audiences. The scale of it would have been impossible years ago but nowadays, fantasy can look just as epic, if not more so, on the small than in film. Having more time to explore the world and get to know the characters are huge pluses as well.
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of epic fantasy books by Philip Pullman. It is a coming-of-age tale centering around two children in a strange alternative Oxford. While magic, witches, and giant armored polar bears exist in this universe, themes of spirituality and physics are also explored. The books have attracted controversy for their criticism of religion, but this hasn’t stopped them from being enormously popular, garnering numerous awards and reaching bestsellers lists. The iconic series will see its debut this fall on HBO and we cannot wait.
Image via BBC
Are you excited for this classic fantasy series to finally get its well-deserved TV adaptation? Below, you can watch the official trailer for the show. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Sink your teeth into this, vampire fans. A new Draculatv series, based on the original novel by Bram Stoker, is coming to Netflix and the BBC. While not airing for quite a while (the supernatural drama is expected to air in late 2019 or early 2020), what details have been revealed are quite salivating. According to The Radio Times the series will be a collaboration between the BBC and Netflix, with the two corporations working together to air the series. Dracula will be helmed by the creators of Sherlock, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Dracula himself will be played by Claes Bang, a Danish actor who said he would be ‘thrilled’ by the opportunity. He was further quoted as saying:
“I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Dracula, especially when the script is in the hands of the incredible talents of Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and the team responsible for Sherlock.”
Bang will be joined by a wide ensemble of actors to help bring the bloody world of Dracula to life. Actors Joanna Scanlan, Chanel Cresswell, Matthew Beard, Lydia West, Dolly Wells, John Heffernan, Lujza Richter and Morfydd Clark, Paul Brennen, Sofia Oxenham, John McCrea, Phil Dunster and Millicent Wong will be joining the drama in as-yet unknown roles. Mark Gatiss himself will also be in the cast, having expressed an interest in playing Dracula’s mad henchman Renfield. But nothing is set in stone yet.
Image via The Radio Times
The show will last approximately three episodes, each of undisclosed length but since this is from the creators of Sherlock, we’re guessing each episode will be movie length in runtime, an hour or more to get their money’s worth of the material. The show’s plot will be, naturally, an adaptation of the Dracula novel but offering a new spin to make it relevant to modern audiences. Moffat said the show will re-centre Dracula as the hero of his own story, as opposed to the antagonist he was in the book and most other adaptations. He will be at the center of the action, as opposed to a more shadowy figure who makes fleeting appearances to menace the heroes. Moffat and Gatiss described the process as difficult, keen to give Dracula center stage but also not take away from his evil at all. They hope their hard work pays off and say they ‘handled’ making Dracula both the main character and truly evil. But we’ll have to wait to see how that plays out onscreen.
Image via The Radio Times
The series is currently in production, having recently completed its second episode. The show is currently filming at Bray Studios, Maidenhead, which was also the location of many classic vampire films starring Christopher Lee as the titular Count, made by Hammer Film Productions. Not much else is known about the show at this time, how closely it will adapt the book or even what the plot will be but the BBC released a short synopsis as a little teaser:
‘Three feature length episodes will re-introduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who made evil sexy. In Transylvania in 1897, the blood-drinking Count is drawing his plans against Victorian London. And be warned: the dead travel fast.’
We can’t wait to see this adaptation of a classic horror novel coming to television. We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled for further developments. Until then, watch the shadows and keep your garlic close!
