Author Zadie Smith’s novel “Swing Time” has been picked up by the BBC for a television adaptation, ScreenDaily reports. Smith will adapt the book herself, along with her husband, writer Nick Laird. The book was just published earlier this week.
“Set in north west London and west Africa,” ScreenDaily writes, “‘Swing Time’ follows two girls who dream of being dancers. Their close but complicated childhood friendship ends abruptly in their early 20s never to be rekindled.”
Former BBC Films boss Christine Langan was the one who picked up the novel for adaptation. She’s now at Baby Cow, the company founded by Steve Coogan, and is developing the project. Langan described Smith as “the voice of a generation. ‘Swing Time’ is a thrillingly ambitious story of friendship, rivalry, and fame,” she added. “We’re delighted and honored at Baby Cow to be developing such a unique project and we can’t wait to share it with TV audiences everywhere.”
“I am absolutely delighted at the prospect of working with Baby Cow on an adaptation of ‘Swing Time,’” Smith commented. “Their extraordinary track record in both drama and comedy I have always admired from afar and it’s a thrill for me to get the chance to collaborate with Steve Coogan and Christine Langan.”
