The current development plan would see each of the four novels in the series – My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child – adapted as eight-episode series for a total of thirty-two episodes chronicling the multilayered struggles of the novels’ protagonists.
The books center on the lives of longtime friends Elena and Lila from childhood to adulthood in Naples as they navigate a backdrop of radical feminism, protest movements, and sometimes-violent social upheaval – including the Italian factory strikes of the 1970s. According to theHollywood Reporter, Elena Ferrante, who writes under a pseudonym, will be involved throughout the development and production of the project.
Fandango CEO Domenico Procacci stated, “It has been two years now since Fandango began working on My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante and we’ve seen the potential of this project grow day by day. I’m confident that together with Wildside we can realize something great, very respectful of Ferrante’s work and our Italian culture and, at the same time, with real international appeal.”