Element Pictures, the Irish production company behind the hit adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People, "has landed another buzzy coming-of-age novel from a fast-rising young author," according to the Hollywood Reporter. "Following what has been described as a hotly-contested auction, the production company--in which Fremantle took a majority stake earlier in the year--has acquired the film and TV rights to Nicola Dinan's debut novel Bellies ahead of its publication in the U.S. and U.K. next summer."
Element, which also produced the adaptations of Rooney's Conversations with Friends and Nancy Harris's The Dry, is working with Dinan to turn the novel into an eight-part series. Doubleday is releasing Bellies in the U.K. in July 2023, followed by Hanover Square Press in the U.S. in August.
"We were immediately absorbed and transported by the love story between Tom and Ming--and by Nicola's writing, which is in equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking," said Element Pictures' Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann, who will executive produce alongside Dinan. "We think the world is hungry for a love story like theirs--that authentically allows for the space and complexity of their changing dynamic, both as Ming transitions but also as the two of them grow into adulthood--while still honoring the excitement and intensity of first love. We are delighted to bring their story to the screen and couldn't be happier that Nicola is adapting herself."
Dinan added: "People have told me that Bellies has given them a new perspective. I think that's really special and reminds me that fiction can enlighten in ways that hard facts often can't. At its heart, Bellies isn't about identity. Rather, it's about two young people struggling to find their place in the world, all while learning how to care for each other and those around them. I'm so happy to be working with Element, and to have the opportunity to continue to explore these characters and share them with the world onscreen."