What Do We Know About The Death Of Bunny Munro?

In 2009, Australian musician Nick Cave – best known as the lead vocalist in his eponymous band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – published his second novel, The Death of Bunny Munro. Tracing the tumultuous journey of a drunk, bereft, sex addicted salesman, the acclaimed novel was originally intended as a screenplay. And 14 years later in 2023, Sky revealed it was working with Matt Smith to bring the drama to the screen. Finally set to land later this year, here are all of the details.

The Death Of Bunny Munro: Everything We Know So Far

Since the moment it was announced in November 2023, Doctor Who and House of the Dragon star Matt Smith has been attached to Sky’s adaptation of The Death of Bunny Munro. Also on board as an executive producer, Smith will portray our titular protagonist, a middle-aged lothorio whose alcohol abuse and womanising comes to a head following his wife’s suicide. With Rafael Mathé playing Bunny Jr and names like Lindsay Duncan and David Threlfall in the supporting cast, expect a gritty, darkly comedic look at father-son relationships on the brink.

Adapted from Nick Cave’s 2009 novel of the same name by BAFTA winning writer Pete Jackson, the latest news is that the author and renowned musician himself will be composing the score for the television series. Cave is teaming up with long-time collaborator Warren Ellis on the six-part series, having previously crafted scores for Back to Black (2024), Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022), Blonde (2022) and plenty more together, as well as both being members of The Bad Seeds. Recorded at Shoreditch’s Soundtree Studios, we’re told to expect raw and unruly energy, as well as the emotional intensity the duo is known for evoking.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis in the studio. (© Kenny Valaydon/Industria Studios)

What Will Happen?

Directed by Isabella Eklöf, The Death of Bunny Munro begins with a different death: that of Libby (Sarah Greene), Bunny’s wife and Bunny Jr’s (Mathé) mother. Drunk and grieving, door-to-door beauty product salesman Bunny suddenly finds himself saddled with a nine-year-old son he is not certain how to care for.

Rather than slow down, he packs them both up on an epic road trip across the south of England. As Bunny bounces from one sales pitch to the next, seducing any woman he meets on her doorstep, Bunny Jr, left in the car, kills time talking to the ghost of his mother and reluctantly realising his dad isn’t just errant, he’s a mess.

But Bunny himself is realising this too. As he continues to unravel, the lothario realises he must do something to rescue his son from his own outdated conceptions of masculinity.

The Cast

Leading the series is Matt Smith as lothario Bunny, joined by newcomer Rafael Mathé in his television debut, playing Bunny’s young son Bunny Jr. They will be joined by Sarah Greene as their wife and mother Libby (often in ghost form), as well as Johann Myers, Robert Glenister and more.

The cast list we know so far is as follows:

• Matt Smith as Bunny Munro
• Rafael Mathé as Bunny Junior
• Sarah Greene as Libby
• Johann Myers as Poodle
• Robert Glenister as Geoffrey
• Alice Feetham as Yvonne
• David Threlfall as Bunny Snr
• Lindsay Duncan as Doris Pennington
• Elizabeth Berrington as Charlotte Parnovar

Release Date

We’re told The Death of Bunny Munro will launch on Sky and NOW before the end of 2025, but no specific date just yet. In the meantime the broadcaster has revealed a special screening event will take place at this year’s London Literature Festival on 30 October.

The first two episodes of The Death of Bunny Munro will be screened, followed by an exclusive on-stage conversation between star Matt Smith and author and musician Nick Cave, who will delve into the journey of bringing the story from the page to the screen.

Tickets are £20pp plus a £3.50 booking fee and will go on sale to Southbank Centre Members at 10am on 6 August, and to the general public at 10am on 7 August.

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