BBC One’s seven-part series will star Eddie Marsan (Filth) and Bertie Carvel (Restless, Matilda) in the lead roles of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
Eddie Marsan, playing Mr Norrell, commented: “I can’t wait to start playing Norrell in this terrific adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s novel, and to be working with such a cast of actors, many of whom I’ve admired for so long.”
Bertie Carvel, playing Jonathan Strange, added: “I read the book some years ago and was totally enchanted. I’ve been casting spells for the part of Strange ever since. It is a considerable surprise to find that some of them worked!”
Directed by Toby Haynes (Doctor Who) and adapted by Peter Harness (Wallander), Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell‘s cast also includes Marc Warren (Mad Dogs), Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures), Samuel West (Mr Selfridge), Charlotte Riley (Easy Virtue), Enzo Cilenti (Rome) and Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones).
The official synopsis reads: “Set at the beginning of the 19th-century, England no longer believes in practical magic. The reclusive Mr Norrell (Marsan) of Hurtfew Abbey stuns the city of York when he causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. With a little persuasion and help from his man of business Childermass (Cilenti), he goes to London to help the government in the war against Napoleon. It is there Norrell summons a fairy to bring Lady Pole (Englert) back from the dead, opening a whole can of worms…
“Jonathan Strange (Carvel) is charming, rich and arrogant. Whilst trying to secure his beloved Arabella’s (Riley) hand in marriage, he meets the magician of Threadneedle Street, Vinculus (Kaye), who tells him he is destined to be a great magician. A shaken and disturbed Strange initially dismisses the claims, but intrigue overcomes and in an attempt to find his occupation, he tries to practise magic…”
Nick Marston, CEO of Cuba Pictures, commented: “It has been a passion of ours for almost a decade to bring Susanna Clarke’s extraordinary novel to the screen. Now, thanks to the great support of the BBC, it is actually happening. Peter Harness has written a first-rate adaptation and Toby Haynes is ready to weave his magic from the director’s chair. There is a huge ambition from the whole team to do justice to Susanna’s work and to bring the book to a brand new audience.”
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell will be shot in Yorkshire, Canada and Croatia, with filming due to begin next week.
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