Irvine Welsh’s novel The Blade Artist is to be adapted for a TV series, it has been revealed.
The 2016 novel tells the story of ex-con Begbie returning to Edinburgh from Los Angeles, where he has forged a successful career as an artist, for his murdered son’s funeral.
Acclaimed author Jenni Fagan is working with actor Dougray Scott’s new production company on the six-part drama, as well as Robert Carlyle, who famously played the violent character in Trainspotting.
The writer, who grew up within the care system in Scotland, said Begbie will have served ‘an extraordinary amount of time in prison’ in the series, where he takes on the new name of Jim Francis.
Former punk and grunge singer Ms Fagan has emerged as one of Scotland’s leading literary talents over the last decade, and will also be working with Scott’s company Buccaneer to adapt her acclaimed novels The Panopticon and Luckenbooth for the screen.
Welsh, meanwhile, is currently working on a second series of Crime, the drama he made last year with Buccaneer.
Ms Fagan said: ‘Begbie is a man who has served an extraordinary amount of time in prison by the time we meet him again, and he is quite unexpectedly working as a successful commercial artist in LA.’
She added: ‘I can’t wait to work with the exceptionally talented team behind this, not least Robert Carlyle.’
The Blade Artist follows on from Trainspotting, which was adapted into a film in 1996, and Porno.
