Good news, “Fleabag” fans: another UK woman-written play is getting the TV treatment. Sid Gentle Films, the production company behind “Killing Eve,” is developing Bella Heesom’s new play, “Rejoicing At Her Wondrous Vulva the Young Woman Applauded Herself,” for the small screen. Deadline broke the news.
A celebration of women’s sexuality, “Rejoicing At Her Wondrous Vulva” features personal stories as well as conversations between Brain and Clitoris. It’s an “epic journey of self-discovery through pleasure, shame, pride, fury, and jubilation as we struggle to break free of the deeply internalized male gaze and unleash our glorious, feral appetites.”
Heesom is writing the adaptation, while Sid Gentle’s Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, and Gina Mingacci are exec producing.
“I’m absolutely overjoyed to be working with Sid Gentle to bring my play to the screen,” Heesom said. “As soon as I met Sally and Henrietta [Colvin, of Sid Gentle], I knew I’d found the perfect home for this show. I’m passionate about exploring sexuality and identity through the female gaze, and to my delight, these wise, witty women are equally passionate about the subject matter, and are also embracing my experimental writing style,” the playwright explained. “I already knew the team had an incredible body of work behind them, and now that I’m in the midst of binge-watching the brilliant ‘Killing Eve,’ I’m even more excited about what we’ll make together.”
“We are delighted to be working with Bella on ‘Wondrous Vulva.’ Her refreshing and radical honestly is compelling, and it fits with Sid’s vision to continue making creative, innovative, and ambitious drama, which pushes boundaries and sparks discussion,” stated Woodward Gentle. “In Bella we have found someone who shares our passion for engaging storytelling, and we are very excited to work with her to bring her wonderfully engaging play to the screen.”
“Bella is a wildly exciting new voice who has written a story that will resonate truthfully not just with women, but with anyone who has struggled to understand who they are,” agreed Mingacci. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the fantastic team bringing this to life.”
Sid Gentle is producing Season 2 of “Killing Eve.” The company also produced UK series “SS-GB” and “The Durrells in Corfu.”
Heesom appeared in “24: Live Another Day.” She made her playwriting debut with “My World Has Exploded a Little Bit,” a story of loss told by the darkly comic guide Bereavement. Heesom also hosts the female sexuality podcast “Rejoicing with Bella.”
