Italian
Caleb Azumah Nelson is set to write, direct and executive produce the BBC adaptation of his debut novel “Open Water.”
The eight-part series will be produced by Mam Tor Productions (a Banijay U.K. company) and B-Side Productions.
“Open Water” follows the relationship between retail worker and budding photographer Marcus and dance student Effie.
“From the moment they meet, they feel an immediate, undeniable connection,” reads the logline. “But, as Marcus soon learns, Effie is in a relationship with Marcus’ friend Samuel. It’s a boundary that Marcus is unwilling to cross. A shared project, photographing and documenting Black creatives in London, draws them into each other’s orbit, but can their burgeoning friendship resist the pull of desire?”
The series will be broadcast on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
Popular on Variety BBC drama director Lindsay Salt commissioned the series. Joining Azumah Nelson as exec producers are Tally Garner for Mam Tor Productions, Matimba Kabalika for B-Side Productions, and Rebecca Ferguson and Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC. Banijay Rights are repping global sales.
“It’s been an absolute joy working alongside Mam Tor, B-Side and the BBC to adapt ‘Open Water’ for the screen,” said Azumah Nelson. “I can’t wait for viewers not only to meet Marcus and Effie but to step into their world: their private, intimate spaces, their communities, their desires. I’m incredibly grateful to be telling this story at this time.”
Salt said: “‘Open Water’ is a tender, bold and dazzling story about the dance of early love and being seen for who you really are. The response to Caleb’s book was phenomenal, and we feel privileged to be working with him to bring this breathtaking romance to the BBC.”
