Yellow Bird UK, part of the Banijay Group, has optioned the TV rights to John Niven’s novel Straight White Male.
Niven (Kill Your Friends, The Second Coming, The Sunshine Cruise Company) is to adapt the book himself.
The book tells the story of Irish writer Kennedy Marr who for years has lived the high life in L.A., womanising, writing movies, and spending every dollar he earns. Then a huge unpaid tax bill forces him to return to England, to accept a lucrative prize from the English department of a red brick university in deepest Warwickshire.
The series will be executive produced by Yellow Bird UK’s Berna Levin (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hidden and upcoming The Girl in the Spider’s Web) and Luke Franklin (The Man in the High Castle, Ransom, Parade’s End).
John Niven said: “I’ve long thought that Straight White Male had all the ingredients for a great TV series, and that Kennedy Marr’s singular approach to life and love is more relevant than ever. Getting the chance to develop the show with Yellow Bird UK, who share my passion for this character, feels ridiculously fortunate.”
Berna Levin, Creative Director for Yellow Bird said: “In his brilliant novel, John Niven not only skewers the crisis of contemporary masculinity in a compassionate, comic, and provocative way, but he’s created one of the most memorable fictional anti-heroes of our time, Kennedy Marr. Kennedy often says what we all wish we could say, and his undeniable flaws mask a compelling, emotionally engaging character, who I’m thrilled we’re bringing to life on screen.”
Straight White Male is the second project from Yellow Bird UK following its recent announcement of Young Wallander, which has been commissioned by Netflix.
Jon Creamer
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