Peter Carey's Bliss to be adapted for television
Australian author Peter Carey's acclaimed novel Bliss is being adapted for television, with BBC Studios Australia Productions developing a new drama series based on the 1981 book.
The adaptation will be created and written by Australian screenwriter and producer Tony Ayres, whose credits include The Slap and Nowhere Boys, and will reimagine Carey's story in a contemporary setting.
Bliss, Carey's debut novel and winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award, follows advertising executive Harry Joy, who suffers a heart attack and becomes convinced that the world he has returned to is actually hell. The new series will tell the story from multiple perspectives and explore family, marriage, faith and identity against a backdrop of rapid social change.
The novel was previously adapted for the screen in 1985 by Australian director Ray Lawrence, with the film nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Two-time Booker Prize winner Carey said he was 'delighted' that Ayres and BBC Studios were taking on the novel, adding that he looked forward to seeing how the story evolves for contemporary audiences while retaining its original spirit.
The series is currently in development, with broadcaster, cast and release date yet to be announced.