Elena Ferrante, the mysterious, mythical author of the best-selling Neapolitan Novels — My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child — is about to break big into the world of TV money: it’s been announced that the novels are being adapted into 32 episodes of dramatic television.
The books will be adapted by Fandango Productions and Wildside to create 8 episodes from each entry in the series. There’s currently very little word on any other specifics: no network has expressed interest; no stars have been rumored; no timeline has been given as far as an estimated date for completion. It will be shot in Italy, though, which will be key for capturing the mood of the books.
The novels, which focus primarily of the lifelong drama between friends Lenù and Lila, as told by Lenù, span decades and would make for the kind of TV key to the current golden era of TV in which we find ourselves. Expect more news here as it develops; should this project go through unhindered, this is gonna result in one hell of a TV event.