We could be seeing a lot more of Connell and Marianne ...in 2025
THE lockdown television hit Normal People left captivated viewers desperate to find out whatever became of onoff lovers Connell and Marianne.
Now its star and director have hinted that the drama could spawn a sequel… although fans might have to be very patient.
Daisy Edgar-Jones, who played wellheeled teenager Marianne, has spoken enthusiastically about returning to the role to find out what happens to her character later in life, but not just yet.
The BBC series, adapted from Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, ended with Marianne encouraging her workingclass lover Connell, played by Paul Mescal, to accept a place on a writing course in New York while she remained in Dublin.
The 22-year-old actress said: ‘The open ending is kind of perfect. That’s what life is like, you never know what’s around the corner. I quite like that I don’t know where they are and that we don’t have to say goodbye to them.
‘But at the same time, I guess I would be curious to see where they go, maybe in their next stage of life, maybe in their early 30s or even later?
‘I would like to see what that would bring but I guess it’s up to Sally and what she wants to do.’
Director Lenny Abrahamson has also raised hopes of revisiting the characters, but not until 2025.
‘We’ve talked about the possibility of how interesting it would be to check back in with them,’ he said. ‘But apart from just general musings over a drink, there have been no concrete discussions about what it would be like.
‘As Sally says, the book stops where it stops because it feels right. But I have a sneaking feeling in the back of my head that if everybody was willing, and if the stars aligned, I’d love to revisit them in five years and find out what happened, where they are.’
Mescal has said he’s interested in a sequel, but added: ‘It’s not on the cards at the moment, but if I got the opportunity to play him again, amazing.’
A second series would certainly be welcomed by TV bosses. The drama had 23 million downloads on iPlayer and has been a hit in reland and America.
Ms Edgar-Jones told CBS Online she was desperate to be cast after becoming intoxicated by Rooney’s book.
‘For me, and Paul, it was a matter of begging them to say yes to us. I would have given anything to play Marianne,’ she said. ‘Sally has touched on something very special with her book.
‘It’s so simple, really. It’s just a character study of two people falling in love and growing up. The show captures how this idea of normal doesn’t really exist for anyone and that’s okay.’
‘Although fans might have to be very patient’