Netflix Signs All-Star Cast For ‘The English Game’ Drama About Creation Of Football From ‘Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes
Julian Fellowes has set his sights on the birth of football, as Netflix signs a squad of all-star talent for new six-part drama ‘The English Game‘ from the ‘Downton Abbey’ creator.
Production has commenced the Netflix series which charts the origins of football and how those involved in its creation reached across the class divide to establish the game as the world’s most popular sport. The series is written, and executive produced by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and produced by 42 (‘Watership Down’, ‘Traitors’).
Netflix today announced the impressive cast will be lead by Edward Holcroft (‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’), Kevin Guthrie (‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’, ‘Dunkirk’, ‘Sunshine on Leith’, ‘The Terror’), Charlotte Hope (‘The Spanish Princess’, ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Game of Thrones’), Craig Parkinson (‘Line of Duty’, ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’, ‘Watership Down’), and James Harkness (‘The Victim’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, ‘Darkest Hour’).
They are joined by Niamh Walsh (‘Jamestown’, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’), Gerard Kearns (‘The Mark of Cain’, ‘Looking For Eric’, ‘Last Kingdom’, ‘Shameless’), Joncie Elmore (‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Shameless’), Sam Keeley (‘Anthropoid’), Daniel Ings (‘The Crown’, ‘Lovesick’), Kate Dickie (‘Red Road’, ‘Prometheus’), Henry Lloyd Hughes (‘Killing Eve’, ‘The Inbetweeners’, ‘Indian Summers’), Kate Phillips (‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘The Aftermath’, ‘The Crown’), Ben Batt (‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, ‘Scott & Bailey’), Sylvestra Le Touzel (‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, ‘The Death of Stalin’), Harry Michell (‘Chubby Funny’, ‘Devils’) and Anthony Andrews (‘The King’s Speech’).
The series is directed by Birgitte Stærmose (‘The Spanish Princess’, ‘Darling’) and Tim Fywell (‘Happy Valley’, ‘Grantchester’) and produced by Rhonda Smith (‘Fresh Meat’, ‘Traitors’). Executive producers include Fellowes as well as Rory Aitken, Eleanor Moran and Ben Pugh for 42 and Eddie Charlton, with Ben Vanstone is a Co-Executive Producer.
Writer/creator Julian Fellowes is a busy man at the moment. His next big project to be released is the much anticipated ‘Downton Abbey’ movie which arrives on Friday, 13th September 2019. He is following that with a return to ITV for another historical drama, ‘Belgravia’, which is a story of secrets and dishonour amongst the upper echelon of London society in the 19th Century. Philip Glenister, Tamsin Greig, Alice Eve & Harriet Walter are set to lead the cast.
‘The English Game‘ will premiere on Netflix in 2020.
