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Matthew Macfadyen and Claire Foy are to lead the TV adaptation of “You Are Here,” the bestselling novel by “One Day” author David Nicholls.
The 8-part series — which was first announced by Variety earlier this year — has
been green lit by the BBC and Starz, with Lenny Abrahamson directing, reuniting with the BBC for the first time since “Normal People.” Set to be filmed around in the Lake District and around Manchester, “You Are Here,” is being produced by the Fremantle-owned Irish powerhouse Element Pictures, who also produced “Normal People.” Global sales will be handled by Fremantle with De Maio Entertainment spearheading the partnership with Starz.
Set along the Coast to Coast walking trail from the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, “You Are Here” follows Michael (Macfadyen) and Marnie (Foy), strangers thrown together by a mutual friend who unexpectedly find themselves setting off on an epic walk. Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for, but which might be exactly the one they both need.
The series is “about finding a connection when you least expect it and overcoming the obstacles of midlife,” reads the description. “Treading the tricky path from loneliness to love, Marnie and Michael go coast-to-coast across the stunning (and sometimes soaking) English countryside, navigating an undeniable attraction that is as exhilarating as it is terrifying.”
“I’m so delighted to be working on ‘You Are Here’ with Element, the BBC, Starz and Lenny, whose work I’ve admired for many years,” said Nicholls, who adapted his own novel. “And Matthew and Claire are both just dream casting, wonderful in comedy and drama, so detailed and thoughtful and sympathetic. The intention with the novel was to write a close-up study of a relationship, but set against this magnificent landscape, and that’s our ambition here too; to make something both intimate and epic, funny and dramatic, a romantic comedy with real emotion. We can’t wait to bring Marnie and Michael’s journey to the screen.”
Added Abrahamson: “As a huge admirer of David’s writing, I’m delighted to be collaborating with him to bring ‘You Are Here’ to the screen. The novel is such a beautiful love story – funny, profound and ultimately deeply hopeful. I’m also extremely excited to have Claire and Matthew, two actors I hugely admire, playing Michael and Marnie.”
“You Are Here” is an Element Pictures, a Fremantle company, production for the BBC and Starz. Both Abrahamson and Nicholls serve as executive producers alongside Claire Foy and MacFadyen, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and Emma Norton for Element Pictures and Jonny Richards and Anna Ferguson for the BBC. The series is produced by Clare Shepherd.
