The adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel comes from Peaky Blinders‘ Steven Knight.
Updated 07/02/23: The BBC have released the briefest of clips of Olivia Colman’s Miss Havisham.
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything about the upcoming BBC/FX adaptation of Great Expectations. The drama, with its impressive cast list (see below), will doubtless gain plenty of attention for the casting of Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham.
Now, the BBC ‘s trailer channel on YouTube have released a short 20 second scene of her in the role…
With the show coming to BBC One and iPlayer in the spring, we expect this to be the first shot in an enthusiastic promotional campaign. Oh, and with Christmas been and gone, what’s the betting “spring” will mean Easter?
Outside the UK, the show is coming to Hulu in the US, Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ elsewhere. We’ll keep you posted.
NB. further to our speculations, Collider have the US tx date for Great Expectations as Sunday, March 26th 2023. However, the BBC simply say that ‘Broadcast details will be announced in due course.’
Original article (from 13/07/22) continues…
Great Expectations – First Look at Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham
The adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel comes from Peaky Blinders‘ Steven Knight.
Steven Knight’s take on Great Expectations is hotly anticipated here at CultBox Towers.
The impressive cast list for the writer’s take on the Charles Dicken’s classic includes Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) as Pip, Shalom Brune-Franklin (Line of Duty, The Tourist) as Estella and, of course, a bona fide national treasure: Olivia Colman is playing Miss Havisham.
With filming underway, the BBC have released a couple of first-look pictures of Olivia Colman in character. The best grants a side profile of Miss Havisham as she inspects the young Pip, judging his suitability.
The second, with a full-length view of the aged Miss Havisham, offers our first look at her adopted daughter Estella.
The BBC bill this version of Great Expectations as “… the coming-of-age story of an orphan nicknamed Pip.” Of course, it’s much more than that, tackling themes of class, love and rejection, wealth and poverty, and more.
The wider cast includes Ashley Thomas, Johnny Harris, Hayley Squires (The Essex Serpent), Owen McDonnell, Trystan Gravelle, Rudi Dharmalingam and Matt Berry (Toast of London).
Steven Knight is both writing and producing this six-part version. Executive producers are Tom Hardy, Ridley Scott, Dean Baker, David W. Zucker, Kate Crowe and Mona Qureshi for the BBC, the team behind Knight’s traumatic take on A Christmas Carol. The show comes from FX Productions in association with the BBC, Scott Free and Hardy Son & Baker.
In the UK, it will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer – we’ll doubtless hear soon, but surely the smart money is still on a festive transmission date?