Whenever a fantastic book is being adapted for tv, there’s always an exciting buzz surrounding it. And when it comes to Naoise Dolan’s debut novel, Exciting Times, it’s no different.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to pick up a copy for yourself, the story follows Dublin woman Ava, who moves to Hong Kong to work as a teacher, and while she’s there, she ends up dating two very different people, detached banker Julian and straight-talking lawyer Edith.
Exciting Times has had nothing but rave reviews since its release, so it’s no surprise it’s been snapped up to be adapted as a tv series. Black Bear Television will be picking up the story, and developing the series as close to the novel as possible.
According to Black Bear, the series will “follow the liaisons of Ava, newly arrived in Hong Kong from Dublin, who spends her days teaching English to rich children. Julian is a banker. A banker who likes to spend money on Ava, to have sex and discuss fluctuating currencies with her. But when she asks whether he loves her, he cannot say more than ‘I like you a great deal.’”
“Enter Edith, a lawyer. Refreshingly enthusiastic and unapologetically earnest, Edith takes Ava to the theatre when Julian leaves Hong Kong for work. Quickly, she becomes something Ava looks forward to. And then Julian writes to tell Ava he is coming back to Hong Kong… Should Ava return to the easy compatibility of her life with Julian or take a leap into the unknown with Edith?”
According to Naoise, she’s thrilled with the news. Saying, “I think my love of dialogue is clear from the book, so I’m thrilled to partner with Black Bear to bring the characters to a TV audience, and even more so to be involved as an executive producer.”
“Black Bear is discerning, independent-minded, and very engaged with the novel, so it will be a privilege to work together on this project.”