Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicide.
Matt Smith fans are in for a treat as the Doctor Who and House of the Dragon star has a new Sussex-set antihero series on the way.
The actor plays the titular character in Sky's The Death of Bunny Munro, which is based on a 2009 novel by music star Nick Cave and follows a door-to-door salesman who embarks on a road trip in southern England with his young son after the death of his wife.
The novel was called "accessible, thrilling and gloriously impolite" by The Telegraph, while The Observer said the character of Bunny is "an antihero of epic proportions".
The new series adaptation of The Death of Bunny Munro is written by Somewhere Boy's Pete Jackson and directed by Industry's Isabella Eklöf and will consist of six episodes.
Clerkenwell Films, which is behind the likes of Baby Reindeer and The End of the F**king World, is producing in association with Sky Studios, with Smith, Cave, Jackson and Eklöf on board as executive producers alongside Sweetpea's Manpreet Dosanjh, Baby Reindeer's Petra Fried and Ed Macdonald, and Somewhere Boy's Emily Harrison, while Ghosts' Matthew Mulot produces.
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"To work alongside Nick Cave on The Death of Bunny Munro feels like a great honour," Smith previously said in a statement. "It’s a brilliant exploration of love, grief, and chaos. At its heart a deep, difficult, and tender story about a father and son, coping with loss and change.
"Clerkenwell Films and Sky feels like the perfect home to make such a bold story and Pete has delivered such wonderful scripts, both funny and heart breaking in equal measure. I can’t wait to collaborate with Isabella and begin the journey with everyone at Clerkenwell."
Cave added: "Finally, someone with the courage to take on this unholy tale. I am thrilled that Sky and Clerkenwell Films are bringing Bunny to life, in all his flawed glory, and I can think of nobody better than Matt Smith to play him."
What is The Death of Bunny Munro about?
The Death of Bunny Munro follows the eponymous character, a "sex addicted, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario" who "finds himself saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting" following his wife Libby's death by suicide.
"Together with nine-year-old Bunny Junior he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two struggle to contain their grief in very different ways," the synopsis adds.
"As Bunny bounces from one sales pitch to the next, trying to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior kills time talking to the ghost of his mother and distracting himself from the dawning realisation that his dad isn’t just fallible – he’s a complete mess. As he starts to unravel, Bunny realises he must do something to rescue his son from his own outdated notions of what it is to be a man."
The show is further described as "a wild cautionary tale and a tender portrait of a father and son".
Who else is in The Death of Bunny Munro?
Alongside Smith, who has also appeared in Starve Acre – which you can watch now on BFI Player (available as a channel on Prime Video) – in the role of Bunny, the series also stars:
• Rafael Mathé as Bunny Junior
• Sarah Greene (Bad Sisters) as Libby
• Johann Myers (Without Sin) as Poodle
• Robert Glenister (Sherwood) as Geoffrey
• Alice Feetham (Boiling Point) as Yvonne
• David Threlfall (Shameless) as Bunny Snr
• Lindsay Duncan (The Morning Show) as Doris Pennington
• Elizabeth Berrington (Last Night in Soho) as Charlotte Parnovar
When will The Death of Bunny Munro air?
An exact release date is yet to be announced, but the series is due in autumn 2025 – so we should expect it in the next few months.
The Death of Bunny Munro will premiere on Sky Atlantic and NOW in 2025.
We encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Information about how to access support is available via the NHS, and organisations who can offer help include Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393.
Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
