Fay Weldon’s Supernatural Novel ‘Puffball’ Being Developed For TV 20 Years After Nicolas Roeg Movie Starring Kelly Reilly & Donald Sutherland
A television adaptation of Fay Weldon's supernatural novel 'Puffball' is currently in development nearly 20 years after the original film. Firebird Pictures has secured the rights to the 1980 novel, with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm set to write the script. The story revolves around a young couple and their complicated relationship with their neighbors, leading to themes of jealousy and fertility.
- ▪Firebird Pictures is developing a TV adaptation of Fay Weldon's novel 'Puffball'.
- ▪Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, an Olivier Award-winning playwright, is attached to write the series.
- ▪The original novel was previously adapted into a film in 2007, directed by Nicolas Roeg.
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| Original publisher | Deadline |
| Canonical URL | https://deadline.com/2026/05/fay-weldon-puffball-tv-series-firebird-movie-kelly-reilly-1236906341/ |
| Publication time | Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000 |
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Fay Weldon Leonardo Cendamo/Getty EXCLUSIVE: Nearly 20 years after the Nicolas Roeg movie starring Kelly Reilly and Donald Sutherland, a small screen version of Fay Weldon’s supernatural novel Puffball is in development. Deadline understands Firebird Pictures has optioned the 1980 novel, with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, an Olivier Award-winning playwright who penned Netflix thriller Obsession, attached to write. Fay Weldon’s Puffball follows a young London couple, Liffey and Richard, who move to the country with the expectation of having children. Their neighbours are Mabs and Tucker, a farming family with five children of their own.
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