New 1950s period drama series based on Anais Nin’s ‘Little Birds’ announced

Sky Atlantic has ordered a new TV adaptation of Anais Nin’s Little Birds.

Set in Tangier in northwestern Morocco in 1955, the “playful and intensely evocative” period drama series is based on Nin’s infamous collection of erotic short stories.

Little Birds will be written by Sophia Al-Maria (The Girl Who Fell to Earth) and directed by Stacie Passon (House of Cards).

Sky’s press release says the “provocative, intelligent, emotionally vibrant and unashamedly entertaining” series “weaves stories of love and desire together with personal drama and political intrigue, set against a uniquely distinctive and glamorous backdrop of hedonism and conflict.”

29-year-old English actress Juno Temple (Atonement, Maleficent) will lead the cast as troubled American debutante Lucy Savage.

The six 60-minute episodes will start filming next month in Spain and Manchester.

Little Birds is set in Tangier’s famous ‘international zone’ – described as “one of the last outposts of colonial decadence.”

The official synopsis reads: “Thrilled to escape her controlling parents, Lucy Savage arrives full of anticipation for her marriage to her English fiancée, Lord Hugo Cavendish-Smythe little knowing that Hugo has already lost his heart to someone else.

“As Lucy fights to carve out her independence and identity, her life becomes intertwined with Cherifa Lamour (Yumna Marwan), a Moroccan dominatrix who services the diplomats and foreigners of this colourful, bohemian world and Egyptian Aristocrat Adham Abaza (Raphael Acloque) – and they all become entangled with some very dangerous characters.”

Little Birds will air in the UK on Sky Atlantic in 2020.

Anais Nin’s book Little Birds is available on Amazon.