Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen is turning to another literary inspiration for his next series.
Van Dusen will adapt Elle Kennedy’s Girl Abroad for the small screen, alongside entertainment companies Pacesetter Productions and A24, Deadline reports.
Kennedy’s romance novel tells the story of Abbey Bly, a 19-year-old woman who moves to London for a year as part of a study-abroad program. She quickly falls for one of her roommates, a rugby player, and also for a bassist who already has a girlfriend. A critic for Kirkus called the book, published in February by Bloom, “a spicy novel that’s a must-read for fans of a British accent.”
Van Dusen worked as a producer on Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal before bringing Bridgerton, based on Julia Quinn’s series of historical romance novels, to Netflix in 2020. The show was a huge hit for the streaming service; its third season is scheduled to begin airing later this month.
He will be the showrunner for Girl Abroad and will executive produce alongside Kennedy.
Kennedy announced news of the adaptation on Instagram, writing, “I am beyond excited about this and am over the moon that the creator of Bridgerton is adapting it! I’ve always imagined this book being on screen and now it’s a dream come true.”
Van Dusen also posted about the project on Instagram, writing, “Thrilled about this one! Working [with] the greats…in my favorite city to adapt this book I’ve been absolutely obsessed with.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
