Simon Bird is set to make his directorial debut on feature film ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’.
The 32-year-old actor-and-comedian – best known for playing geeky teenager Will McKenzie in Channel 4 TV comedy series ‘The Inbetweeners’ and the subsequent two films – is attached to direct an upcoming adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name.
The tome, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Costa Award for Best Novel, tells the story of an idle summer in the lives of a shy 15-year-old heavy metal fan Daniel and his 52-year-old librarian mother Sue who must spend the summer holiday together after Daniel’s planned trip to spend the summer with his father and his father’s pregnant new wife in Florida is cancelled.
Bird will direct the screenplay by ‘Not Working’ author Lisa Owens, while Stigma Films’ Matthew James Wilkinson is producing.
The movie is part-funded by Creative England with support from the BFI Network.
Bird previously directed the short Ernestine and Kit, based on a short story by Kevin Barry, which was produced by Stigma Films in 2015 and premiered at SXSW. It was nominated for Best Short Film at last year’s Irish Film and Television Awards.
Away from ‘The Inbetweeners’ his other acting credits include appearances in films ‘The Look of Love’ and ‘The Harry Hill Movie’ and TV shows ‘Friday Night Dinner’ and ‘Chickens’.
Simon Bird set to direct Days of the Bagnold Summer
