BritBox Commissions 4 Exclusive New Dramas Inc. Adaptation Of ‘Crime’ By ‘Trainspotting’s Irvine Welsh
BritBox has announced the commission of four new original dramas which will exclusively air on the streaming service in the UK. They include revenge thriller ‘The Beast Must Die’ starring Cush Jumbo, an adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Magpie Murders’, an adaptation of the Cold War espionage thriller ‘A Spy Among Friends’ by Ben Macintyre, and ‘Trainspotting’s Irvine Welsh adapting his own novel ‘Crime’ in his first foray into a tv series.
‘Crime’ sees ‘Trainspotting’ author Irvine Welsh adapt his first TV drama, based on his original novel, alongside long-standing screenwriting partner Dean Cavanagh (‘Wedding Belles’). Set in Edinburgh and directed by James Strong (‘Liar’, ‘Broadchurch’) the six-episode production will star Dougray Scott (‘Mission: Impossible 2’, ‘Batwoman’, ‘My Week with Marilyn’) as Detective Inspector Ray Lennox, who is investigating the disappearance of a schoolgirl while battling his own personal demons.
Crime is being produced by Buccaneer Media, Tony Wood and Dougray Scott. Executive producers are Irvine Welsh, Dean Cavanagh, Richard Tulk-Hart and James Strong. The series is distributed worldwide by Cineflix Rights.
“Delighted that BritBox has picked this up,” commented Irvine Welsh. “Lennox is a compelling character for me, not so much a cop as a broken avenging angel. So don’t expect a run of the mill cop show, and nonces beware.”
‘The Beast Must Die’ is an original British five-part revenge thriller which tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son. The drama will star Cush Jumbo OBE (‘The Good Wife’, ‘The Good Fight’, ‘Deadwater Fell’), Billy Howle (‘MotherFatherSon’, ‘On Chesil Beach’) and Nathaniel Parker (‘The Inspector Lynley Mysteries’, ‘The Outcast’, ‘Vanity Fair’) and based on the novel by Nicholas Blake (pen name of Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis CBE). Bafta, Golden Globe & Emmy nominated Jared Harris (‘Chernobyl’, ‘The Crown’, ‘Mad Men’) is also poised to join the cast.
The series is being directed by Dome Karukoski (‘Tolkien’, ‘Tom of Finland’), produced by Sarada McDermott (‘Bridgerton’, ‘Official Secrets’) and adapted for the screen by screenwriter Gaby Chiappe (‘Their Finest’, ‘Shetland’, ‘Vera’). Executive Producers are Ed Rubin and Emma Broughton for New Regency, Marina Brackenbury and David W Zucker for Scott Free, Nathaniel Parker and Gaby Chiappe. New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free produce the drama. New Regency is also the international distributor on the production.
“We are tremendously excited to be bringing Nicholas Blake’s gripping novel to the screen, as the first drama for New Regency Television out of the UK – and one of the first BritBox originals,” commented Ed Rubin, Head of New Regency Television International. “It’s been adapted brilliantly by Gaby, and we couldn’t ask for a more talented cast and team to bring it to life.”
‘Magpie Murders’ is adapted from the bestseller written by ‘Alex Rider’ and ‘Foyle’s War’ creator Anthony Horowitz OBE. Described as a beguiling murder mystery with a solution that will both astonish and shock viewers, the plot of revolves around the character Susan Ryeland, an editor who is given an unfinished manuscript of author Alan Conway’s latest novel, but has little idea it will change her life.
Lauded as “a magnificent piece of crime fiction” and “an ingenious novel within a novel” by The Sunday Times, ‘Magpie Murders’ topped multiple best-seller lists, and it’s international awards included the prestigious Macavity Award for Best Novel. Horowitz adapted the screenplay himself, and the series was commissioned by BritBox alongside MASTERPIECE on PBS and will be produced by Eleventh Hour Films.
”This is an extraordinary and distinctive drama,” said Jill Green, Eleventh Hour Films. “I don’t think there’s ever been a crime show like it with a strong female lead treading the line between reality and fiction as she fights to uncover the truth.”
‘A Spy Among Friends’ is based on real events, and follows the defection of a notorious British intelligence officer and KGB double agent, Kim Philby, through the lens of his complex relationship with MI6 colleague and close friend, Nicholas Elliott. The drama examines espionage through their friendship, the fallout of which affects East-West relations to this day.
The drama is based on Ben Macintyre’s book of the same name, and comes from former ‘Homeland’ exec producer/writer Alexander Cary, Sony Pictures Television and ITV Studios. Nick Murphy (‘Save Me’, ‘The Last Kingdom’, ‘The Hot Zone’) is set to direct. Whilst there is no casting officially attached yet, it is believed that ‘Billions’ star Damian Lewis is circling the role of Elliott and Dominic West (‘The Affair’, ‘The Wire’) is negotiating for the role of Philby.
“BritBox Originals need to be bold, bingeable and distinctively British,” adds Reemah Sakaan, Group Director ITV SVOD and Chief Creative & Brand Officer BritBox Global. “Creating this exceptional roll call of talent, stories and productions in our first drama slate to add exclusively to the treasure trove of BritBox boxsets from every UK PSB is something no one else can do, we can’t wait to bring them to subscribers.”
As with everything at the moment, none of these dramas have premiere dates yet, although I wouldn’t expect anything to appear until at least 2021. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
