When Neville Thompson put pen to paper in the mid-90s to write Jackie Loves Johnser, OK? he never envisioned that his book would not only become an Irish cult classic, but that 27 years later it would hit the big screen.

Well, the latter is not strictly true. In fact, Thompson had every faith that the book would one day become a film. “I never thought it would take so long or that it would be in French or with such a budget (€35.7 million),” he laughs.

While Thompson had visions of actors like Angeline Ball starring in the film version and following in the footsteps of other Irish hits like The Snapper, Jackie Loves Johnser, OK? had a different path to the big screen. The film by Gilles Lellouche ‘L’Amour Ouf’ (Beating Hearts), transplants the books action from the glass-splattered playgrounds of Ballyfermot to the gritty streets of northern France in the 1980s.

The setting might be different, but the essence of what made the book such a firm favourite is still there. “I wrote a very distinct Ballyfermot story, but I always felt, people from similar places anywhere in the world would relate to it,” he explains.

The film has been getting super reviews after its Cannes debut and is set to premiere in Ireland at the IFI French Film Festival on November 23 With Mercier releasing a reissued and updated version of the book and the film hitting the big screen, Thompson is happy to see a new generation discover the book for the first time. Reflecting on the book’s enduring appeal, he reasons it was because the film resonated with more than just the critics.

“I hit an audience of people who don’t normally read,” he says. “They were from very working-class backgrounds, where books were not found in the houses. It was strange, I got letters from teens saying the book was passed from one to another, like your first cigarette. It was writing but not like they were reading in class.”

“Seemingly in the prisons they caught two guys passing the book and assumed as they didn’t read they were passing contraband. When they found nothing, they asked what was with the book and they replied it was the first time anyone wrote like they lived. That’s something I am proud of,” he smiles.

But what does the man himself think of the movie adaptation? “I saw it in Paris, no subtitles and I have no French, but honestly it is a fantastic film.” Such is the brilliance of Thompsons story and characters, that it transcends the language barrier, keeping the spirit very much alive.

While Thompson is pleased with it all, what does he reckon Jackie and Johnser would think of it?

“Jackie would say… Johnser I’m scarlet, imagine what me Ma and Da are going to say, oh Johnser they won’t show me… me diddy’s in sex scenes will they?”

“Johnser would simply say… Who the fuck could they get who is as good-looking as me! And I tell you if they get some American trying to put on a Dublin accent, I will personally find the little p…”