Daisy Edgar-Jones has landed the lead role in the film adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing, it has been confirmed.
The movie, which is based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Delia Owens, will be produced by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine and directed by First Match's Olivia Newman.
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Daisy will take on the role of Kya, a young woman who grows up isolated on the North Carolina marshes in the deep south of America in the 1950s. Kya ends up being abandoned by her mother and siblings and ends up fending for herself while living with her abusive father.
© Photo: Getty ImagesDaisy Edgar-Jones will play the lead in the film
The 22-year-old actress, who catapulted to fame earlier this year thanks to her breakout role in BBC and Hulu's Normal People, shared her excitement with her new part on her Instagram stories.
Sharing an article about the news, the actress captioned the image: "I actually can't believe this?!", tagging Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon and more in the process.
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Plenty took to social media to express their excitement at the movie news. One person wrote on Twitter: "Oooh Daisy Edgar Jones to star in #WheretheCrawdadsSing I think she is a great choice."
A second echoed this, writing: "Daisy Edgar-Jones has been cast in Where the Crawdads Sing and I'm soooo keen for it." While a third simply wrote: "YAY! So excited about this!"
The 2018 novel was a huge hit
The story in the novel is told in two timelines: the first is centred on Kya's childhood, while the second jumps forward in time to investigate the murder of Kya's former boyfriend, which Kya finds herself wrapped up in.
Delia Owens' novel has been a huge success since its release in 2018. As well as topping the New York Times best-seller list for over 32 weeks, it has received high praise all over the world. As of 2019, the novel had sold over 4.5 million copies and more print copies in 2019 than any other novel.
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