Doctor Who star Matt Smith cast in Nick Cave's The Death of Bunny Munro

Smith will star as the titular Bunny, a sleazy door-to-door beauty salesman and self-professed lothario who must look after his nine-year-old son in the wake of his wife's suicide.

BAFTA winner Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) penned the scripts, while Industry's Isabella Eklöf is on directing duties.

The Doctor Who and House of the Dragon star will also executive produce the project, alongside Cave.

Speaking of the role, Smith said: "To work alongside Nick Cave on The Death of Bunny Munro feels like a great honour. It's a brilliant exploration of love, grief, and chaos.

"At its heart a deep, difficult, and tender story about a father and son, coping with loss and change. Clerkenwell Films and Sky feels like the perfect home to make such a bold story and Pete has delivered such wonderful scripts, both funny and heart breaking in equal measure.

"I can’t wait to collaborate with Isabella and begin the journey with everyone at Clerkenwell."

Cave added: "Finally, someone with the courage to take on this unholy tale. I am thrilled that Sky and Clerkenwell Films are bringing Bunny to life, in all his flawed glory, and I can think of nobody better than Matt Smith to play him."

Sky also released a synopsis teasing more of said "unholy tale".

"As Bunny bounces from one sales pitch to the next, trying to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior kills time talking to the ghost of his mother and distracting himself from the dawning realisation that his dad isn’t just fallible, he’s a f**king mess," it reads.

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"As he starts to unravel, Bunny realises he must do something to rescue his son from his own outdated notions of what it is to be a man. The Death of Bunny Munro is a darkly comic and unflinching modern-day parable as well as a tender portrait of the relationship between father and son."

The broadcaster revealed that the search for an actor to play Bunny Junior is currently under way, and that it hopes to uncover "an exciting new talent" in the process.

• The Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave is available to buy now

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