THE CONSTANT GARDENER is Getting a Limited Series Adaptation Set in a Post-Pandemic Context

The Constant Gardener is getting a limited-series adaptation from His Dark Materials writer Lydia Adetunji. This imagining of the story is said to be set in a “post-pandemic context.”

The series is described as a “post-pandemic contemporary retelling” of one of author John le Carre’s most popular novels, which was previously adapted as a film in 2005. The story follows Justin Quayle, “a British diplomat and avid horticulturalist who meets an Amnesty International activist in London called Tessa. After striking up a romance, they head on a journey that weaves together a brutal murder, government corruption and corporate malfeasance in a plot which unravels across Kenya, the UK and mainland Europe.”

The Ink Factory Co-CEOs Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell said in a statement: “It’s thrilling to be reinterpreting The Constant Gardener in a contemporary, post-pandemic context, and to be rooting the story in an authentic, modern Kenya with all of its richness, politics and energy. Lydia’s bold, exciting but also lyrical approach to the adaptation tells a story that keeps the audience on the edge of its seat – intensely relevant in the modern world, and simply beautiful.”

Adetunji added that she “adores the passionate love story and gripping thriller” element of the novel. I hope that whatever they do with this new adaptation, it ends up being good!

The original film was fantastic and it was directed by City of God‘s Fernando Meirelles. The movie starred Ralph Fiennes as Quayle and Rachel Weisz as Tessa, and Weisz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.