When Irish author Naoise Dolan's debut novel Exciting Times was released in depths of the first Covid-induced lockdown last year, critics predicted the book, and Dolan, were set to 'fill the Sally Rooney-shaped hole' in readers' lives.
And now it seems like the young writer is set to continue to follow in Rooney's footsteps as Exciting Times is being made into a limited TV series that's currently in development at Amazon Studios.
Keen to recreate to worldwide success of the Normal People series, US production company Black Bear Pictures, the company behind a slew of critically acclaimed blockbusters including The Imitation Game, Ben Is Back and more recently I Care A Lot on Amazon, optioned the rights to the book before it was even released in the States last summer.
As if that wasn't exciting enough, it was announced last week that Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor is tipped to both executive produce and star in the series.
Dynevor found global fame last year after starring as Daphne Bridgerton in the Netflix period drama which went onto become the most watched original series in the streaming platform's history, reaching over 80 millions households around the world.
The show's runaway success made superstars of its ensemble cast which also includes Derry Girls actress Nicola Coughlan.
Prior to Bridgerton, Dynevor played supporting roles in TV series including Hilary Duff's Younger and crime drama Snatch.
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Little else is known about the Exciting Times series at present except that Dolan herself is on board to co-write the series' screenplay with Cooper Raiff, a writer and director who is currently finishing off a film with Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann and Lady Bird star Odeya Rush.
For those who haven't read Exciting Times, the novel's plot centres around an introverted Irish expat named Ava who has moved to Hong Kong to teach English. She soon becomes embroiled in a bizarre love triangle with Julian, her terribly affluent and aloof British male flatmate, and a female acquaintance from Hong Kong named Edith.
The novel inevitably drew comparisons to the now ubiquitous Sally Rooney, many of which felt reductive although most readers of the novel will agree it often feels impossible not to compare the works as they share many similarities - particularly in how both writers handle topics like sexual intimacy and class dynamics.
With the TV adaption of Rooney's first novel Conversations With Friends currently filming in Ireland with stars like Joe Alwyn and Jemima Kirke attached, it will be interesting to see how both shows compare when they air next year.
Featured Image Credit: Tim Ireland/PA Archive/PA ImagesTopics: Ireland