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UNFINISHED BUSINESS: The Projects James Gandolfini Left Behind

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday June 20, 2013 @ 12:01am PDTTags: James Gandolfini
Nellie Andreeva

It had been a great last couple of months for James Gandolfini and his HBO-based Attaboy Prods. They set up three major TV projects, whose future is now uncertain following the actor-producer’s untimely death today at age 51. In April, Gandolfini got Bone Wars at HBO Films, reuniting with his The Incredible Burt Wonderstone co-star Steve Carell. It is a fun project, in which the two were to play famous post-Civil War paleontologists  Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, whose notorious fossil race led to the discovery of more than 160 dinosaurs. The film was in nascent stages, with no script written yet. “Unbelievably sad news. A fine man,” Carell tweeted today.
R.I.P. James Gandolfini
Then in May, HBO gave the green light to Criminal Justice, a limited series starring Gandolfini in his post-Sopranos series return. The project, written by Richard Price directed by Oscar winner Steven Zaillian, was originally piloted as a traditional drama series last year. After HBO passed on the pilot in February, it garnered interest from other nets. Meanwhile Gandolfini and Zaillian decided that a limited series would better serve the narrative, leading to a seven-episode order at HBO. “A real man, like they don’t make anymore,” Zaillian said today of Gandolfini. “Honest, humble, loyal, complicated, as grateful for his success as he was unaffected by it, as respectful as he was respected, as generous as he was gifted.” Loosely inspired by the 2008 BBC series, Criminal Justice stars Gandolfini as an ambulance-chasing New York City attorney who gets in over-his-head when he takes on the case of a Pakistani (Riz Ahmed) accused of murdering a girl on the Upper West Side. All sides indicated it is too soon to make decisions or even discuss the feature of the series, which had been reworked as a limited series and was yet to film any episodes beyond the pilot. While the character played by Gandolfini is central to the ongoing storyline, I’ve learned that the pilot episode centers on Ahmed’s character, and Gandolfini only appears in the last minute for the final scene in the pilot, making recasting an option should HBO decide to proceed with the series as originally planned.
And just two weeks ago, in one of the first buys for this coming broadcast development cycle, CBS gave a script commitment to Taxi-22, an adaptation of the French Canadian comedy, with Gandolfini attached to executive produce through Attaboy. That is a promising new chapter for what has been a passion project for Gandolfini, whose company had been developing the property at HBO for the past three years. The project remains in development, but it won’t be the same without Gandolfini, Taxi-22 executive producer Clark Peterson said. “We are devastated. He was a great man and a unique embodiment of creativity, humanity, and humility. I can confirm that the development of Taxi-22 will continue, but we’ll always be flying in the missing-man formation.” Read More »

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Cillian Murphy Boards ‘In The Heart Of The Sea’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday June 19, 2013 @ 3:18pm PDTTags: Cillian Murphy, In The Heart Of The Sea, Ron Howard, Warner Bros
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Cillian Murphy jas joined the cast of In The Heart Of The Sea, the Ron Howard-directed adaptation of the Nathaniel Philbrick book for Warner Bros and Village Roadshow Pictures. Brian Grazer is producing with Joe Roth, Paula Weinstein and William Ward, with Palak Patel exec producing. Murphy will play Matthew Joy, second mate on the whale ship Essex. Citing reports of cannibals in the Society Islands, Joy and first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) convince first time Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker) to sail to South America after an enraged sperm whale rams and sinks the Essex, leaving 21 crew members adrift in small boats, 3,000 miles from land. The film begins shooting around London in mid-September.

Murphy is currently at work on Wally Pfister’s Transcendence with Johnny Depp in New Mexico. He wrapped Cry/Fly, an indie opposite Jennifer Connelly and Mélanie Laurent and this fall stars in Peak Blinders, a six-part miniseries for the BBC about the Shelby gang in 1920s Birmingham. He’ll next be seen in Broken, the British Independent Film Award-winning drama he stars in with Tim Roth, with Film Movement releasing in July in the U.S. Murphy is repped by CAA, the Lisa Richards Agency, Lou Coulson Associates and attorney David Weber.

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Global Showbiz Briefs: UK Scramble For FA Cup Rights; Shanghai’s Box Office Surges; Karlovy Vary Honors John Travolta; More

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Wednesday, 19 June 2013 05:00 UKTags: Food Network, John Travolta, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Vince Gilligan, \

At Least Four UK Nets Lining Up To Bid For FA Cup Rights
A bidding war reportedly is gearing up in the UK for TV rights to soccer tournament the FA Cup for the three seasons to 2017-18. Financial Times reports that BT, ITV, BSkyB and the BBC are entering bids. BT and ITV currently share rights to the FA Cup until the end of the 2013-14 season. FT says analysts predict that having all four in the ring could significantly push up the cost of the rights. In January 2012, ITV acquired free-to-air broadcast rights for 16 FA Cup games per season, along with some of England’s home qualifying games, for an annual cost of £43M. But the BBC is understood to be concerned about its lack of live soccer during the regular season. BT and BSkyB are still expected to be the most aggressive bidders.

Shanghai Now Second-Biggest Box Office Among Chinese Cities
Shanghai box office has become the second biggest of all mainland Chinese cities and is expected to continue to grow rapidly in the next few years, spurred on by investment from U.S. studios Disney and DreamWorks, according to a study by Artisan Gateway. In 2012, Shanghai’s box office was $214.2 million, a 22.2% year-on-year growth. The city, regarded as the birthplace of Chinese cinema, has 122 movie theaters, just two more than the No. 1 Beijing market. The U.S. Consulate, which sponsored the study, said it plans to contribute more to protecting IP rights, Shanghai Daily reported. Read More »

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Queen’s Corgis, Olympic Torch & More Are Top Excuses For UK TV License Fee Evaders

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday, 18 June 2013 21:04 UKTags: BBC

British households with a television are required to pay an annual fee of £145.50 ($228) which goes towards funding public broadcaster the BBC. But more than 400,000 Britons were caught watching TV in the UK without having paid for a license in 2012, BBC News said today. Folks who believe they are exempt can make a “no license fee needed” claim to watchdog TV Licensing, with such valid reasons as having no TV set, if a TV is only used to watch DVDs or if catch-up services only are being accessed. Being caught without a valid license is a criminal offense and can come with a fine of up to £1,000, but even TV Licensing has kept a sense of humor about the recent revelations. Below are some of its favorite 2012 excuses from people caught without a permit:

- “Why would I need a TV Licence for a TV I stole? Nobody knows I’ve got it”

- “I had not paid as I received a lethal injection”

- “Apparently my dog, which is a corgi, was related to the Queen’s dog so I didn’t think I needed a TV Licence” Read More »

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‘Doctor Who’s Jenna-Louise Coleman Joins BBC One’s ‘Death Comes To Pemberley’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday, 18 June 2013 10:29 UKTags: BBC One, Death Comes To Pemberley, Jenna-Louise Coleman

Last month, BBC One set Matthew Rhys to play Mr. Darcy in Death Comes To Pemberley, the three-part serial based on P.D. James’ suspense novel which revisits Jane Austen’s most iconic characters. A vast lineup of British TV talent has now been added to the cast, including Doctor Who star Jenna-Louise Coleman as Lydia Wickham, the sister of Austen’s Pride And Prejudice heroine Elizabeth Bennett. As previously announced, Anna Maxwell Martin is playing Bennett and Matthew Goode is George Wickham, Lydia’s husband. The story picks up six years into Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage as they prepare for their annual ball. When Lydia arrives, she brings a shocking halt to the proceedings and a murder investigation unfolds. Also joining the cast are Trevor Eve (Waking The Dead), Rebecca Front (The Thick Of It), James Fleet (Sense And Sensibility), Penelope Keith (To The Manor Born), Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It), Tom Ward (Silent Witness), Eleanor Tomlinson (The White Queen) and James Norton (Rush). Calendar Girls‘ Juliette Towhidi penned the adaptation which will be directed by Daniel Percival (Crossing Lines). Shooting starts this month in Yorkshire. Origin Pictures is producing for BBC One.

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John Hurt To Co-Star In FX Pilot ‘The Strain’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday June 17, 2013 @ 4:06pm PDTTags: Carlton Cuse, FX, Guillermo Del Toro, John Hurt, The Strain
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated actor John Hurt has been tapped as the co-lead opposite Corey Stoll and Mia Maestro in FX‘s high-profile drama pilot The Strain, from Guillermo del Toro and Carlton Cuse, which is being eyed for a 13-episode pickup. The high-concept thriller, directed by del Toro  from a script he co-wrote with Chuck Hogan based on their vampire novel trilogy, tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Stoll), the head of the Centers for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. Hurt, who first worked with del Toro in his 2004 feature Hellboy, will portray Professor Abraham Setrakian, a holocaust survivor who immigrated to the U.S. after World War II and now runs a pawn shop in Spanish Harlem. As the outbreak spreads, he may be the only one with answers — if anyone will listen. Read More »

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Iain De Caestecker Gets Lead In Ryan Gosling-Directed ‘How To Catch A Monster’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday June 17, 2013 @ 9:57am PDTTags: How To Catch A Monster, Iain DeCaestecker, Ryan Gosling, S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mike Fleming

You think of all of the young actors trying to make it in movies, and they likely all look to Ryan Gosling as the model, considering how well he has done without losing his indie cred. That makes Iain De Caestecker the luckiest young guy, in that Gosling chose him for the lead of his directorial debut, How To Catch A Monster. Gosling undertook a wide search but chose De Caestecker to play Christina Hendricks’ character’s son, a loner with an active imagination who is the catalyst for this film. De Caestecker is a Scottish actor who played the male lead in two high-profile BBC series: the BAFTA-winning The Fades and Young James Herriot. He starred opposite Alice Englert in the thriller Fear which played at Sundance and next stars with James McAvoy and Jim Broadbent in Filth. He’s done well in a short time in the U.S. On his first trip to Los Angeles, and landed a series regular role on the Marvel/ABC/Joss Whedon pilot S.H.I.E.L.D., which is going to series. So even though right now this guy is a walking typo to people like me, soon we might all be able to spell his name without looking it up. Anonymous Content, WME and Hamilton Hodell rep him.

Related: Warner Bros Acquires ‘How To Catch … Read More »

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Ex-BBC Host Stuart Hall Receives Jail Term For Indecent Assault On Young Girls

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday, 17 June 2013 15:24 UKTags: BBC, Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall

The BBC said today that it is “appalled” that some of Stuart Hall’s crimes took place in connection with his work at the broadcaster. Hall was charged late last year with indecent assault and last month admitted 14 offenses against 13 girls from 1967-1985, the youngest aged 9. Today, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The 83-year-old former TV and radio host read regional news for the BBC in the 1960s and 70s and also hosted BBC One game show It’s A Knockout from 1972–1988. He reported on soccer for BBC Radio 5 Live until his arrest in December. The criminal investigation into Hall was separate from the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal that has plagued the BBC since last fall. (Hall’s lawyer reportedly told the court he had “all of 13″ victims compared to Jimmy Savile’s 1,300.) After the Savile revelations, focus turned to the culture and practices at the BBC in the 60s, 70s and 80s and whether a blind eye was turned to his behavior. The BBC is now conducting an inquiry into the era of Savile’s alleged crimes. It is also pursuing a detailed investigation into Hall’s conduct at the BBC. The Hall inquiry’s findings will be published as part of the Savile review later this year.

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In UK Debut, Starz/BBC Drama ‘The White Queen’ Wins Sunday Night Ratings Crown

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday, 17 June 2013 11:10 UKTags: BBC One, Starz, The White Queen

Starz/BBC series The White Queen launched on BBC One on Sunday night with an average 5.33M viewers, according to overnight data. That was enough to win the night with a 22.83% share from 9PM-10PM, but was off about 600,000 viewers from the slot average, according to Broadcast. The 10-episode drama is based on the bestselling historical novels by Philippa Gregory and set against the backdrop of England’s Wars of the Roses. It stars Max Irons, Amanda Hale, James Frain, Rebecca Ferguson, Faye Marsay and Janet McTeer. When the series kicks off on Starz on August 10, viewers will see a slightly different version than in the UK. Irons recently told Britain’s Metro, “You get a lot more arse in the Starz version – the cameras kept rolling after the BBC stopped the scene.” A spokeswoman for the series confirmed to The Telegraph that the an additional 30 seconds on “two or three” occasions had been filmed, but said there were no extra scenes written or shot for the Starz take. Colin Callender is executive producer for the series that’s produced by the UK’s Company Pictures. Here’s a trailer:

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Will Greek Broadcaster ERT Get Reprieve?; News Back On, Prime Minister Offers Meeting

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Friday, 14 June 2013 12:17 UKTags: BBC, ERT, Greece

A State Council decision on whether to grant a temporary injunction freezing the order to shutter Greek state broadcaster ERT is expected this afternoon, the Kathimerini website reports. The news comes as broadcast chiefs from around Europe have called on Greek authorities to reopen ERT after the government ordered it to cease operations on Tuesday. Over 50 public media CEOs, directors general and presidents including the BBC’s Tony Hall and leaders of Danish broadcaster DR, France’s France Télévisions, Germany’s ARD and ZDF, Italy’s RAI and Spain’s RTVE, have condemned ERT’s closure as “undemocratic and unprofessional.” (The station’s news channel NET was back on air for satellite subscribers late on Thursday, however, as the European Broadcasting Union implemented a workaround to take the feed from a Thessaloniki studio and retransmit it via the EBU’s Athens earth station.)

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has taken a step towards quelling the situation by inviting two left-wing junior coalition parties opposed to the shutdown to talks next Monday, Reuters reports. A compromise may emerge, but a government official told the news agency that Samaras is not expected to reverse his decision to launch a leaner state broadcaster in late summer. A source also told Reuters that cash-strapped Athens was under pressure to show EU and IMF inspectors that it had a plan to fire 2,000 public employees, and ERT was the only option available. Read More »

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Endemol UK Names David Flynn Chief Creative Officer

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday, 13 June 2013 09:54 UKTags: David Flynn, Endemol

Remarkable Television’s David Flynn has been appointed chief creative officer at the company’s parent, Endemol UK. Flynn was previously joint managing director at Remarkable, producer of The Million Pound Drop (aka The Money Drop). Replacing him at Remarkable is Nick Mather, previously controller of entertainment and formats. Flynn created and exec produces The Million Pound Drop Live which first launched in 2010 and airs on the UK’s Channel 4. He also co-created game show Pointless and executive produces for BBC One. His other credits include The Bank Job, Seven Days On The Breadline and The Common Denominator. Mather has been with Endemol since 2005. His credits include The Kids Are All Right, The Whole 19 Yards and ABC’s 101 Ways To Leave A Game Show.

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Shine America Ups Linda Giambrone To EVP & Head Of Production

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday June 11, 2013 @ 10:00am PDTTags: Linda Giambrone, Shine America

Veteran production executive Linda Giambrone most recently was SVP & Head of Production and will continue to oversee unscripted production for Shine America as EVP & Head Of Production. Those duties include the series MasterChef, The Biggest Loser, The Face and the upcoming MasterChef Junior. Giambrone, who has been with Shine America since June 2011 after a stint at BBC Worldwide Productions where she launched its U.S. scripted business, works out of Shine’s LA office and oversees the unscripted current, postproduction and music divisions. “Linda has done a phenomenal job over the last two years overseeing all production aspects of our unscripted programming slate”, Shine America president Eden Gaha said in announcing the promotion. “Her extensive experience has served us well and we’re thrilled to have her with us as we continue to expand our unscripted footprint in the years ahead”.

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Resolution Signs ‘Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday June 11, 2013 @ 9:33am PDTTags: Critics' Choice Television Awards, Orphan Black, Resolution, Tatiana Maslany
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Hot off her best actress in a drama series win at the Critics Choice TV Awards last night, Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany has signed with Resolution. Canadian Maslany had been without U.S. agency representation for a while and had been pursued by multiple agencies recently following her breakout performance on the BBC America drama. Last night, she edged the likes of Homeland‘s Claire Danes, Bates Motel‘s Vera Farmiga, Mad Men‘s Elisabeth Moss, The Good Wife‘s Julianna Margulies and The Americans‘ Keri Russell to land the Critics Choice nod and has emerged as a major Emmy contender as well. (Watch her acceptance speech below). Maslany, who also received a breakout performance special Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, continues to be managed by Magnolia Entertainment and repped by Characters Talent Agency in Canada.

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BBC Accused Of Misleading Parliament Over Failed £100M Digital Media Initiative

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday, 11 June 2013 14:22 UKTags: BBC, BBC Trust, Mark Thompson

The BBC is in hot water again, this time over the handling of the Digital Media Initiative, a project to digitize archive content and make it easily accessible to production staff. The project was cancelled last month, but had already cost the broadcaster and taxpayers nearly £100M. Now, the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) contends that it was misled over the status of the initiative during evidence given in 2011 by the BBC and its then-director general Mark Thompson. At the time, Thompson – who is now CEO of the New York Times Company – told the Committee, “There are many programs that are already being made with DMI, and some have gone to air and are going to air with DMI already working.” But at a hearing yesterday, Committee chair Margaret Hodge said, “We were told that there were bits of this system that were working, that you were using them. That wasn’t true. That just wasn’t true.” She has summoned Thompson to answer questions at a July hearing, The Guardian reports.

In a statement, Thompson said, “When I appeared in front of the PAC… I answered all of the questions from Committee members honestly and in good faith. I did so on the basis of information provided to me at the time by the BBC executives responsible for delivering the project.” Thompson has had a hard time leaving the BBC behind. Just as he was starting his New York Times Co. job in November, he was the subject of scrutiny from the flagship paper, and the British media, over the Jimmy Savile/Newsnight saga and was also interviewed for an inquiry into the scandal which erupted just after he left the broadcaster. Read More »

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2013 Critics’ Choice TV Awards: ‘Big Bang Theory,’ ‘Behind The Candelabra,’ ‘American Horror Story,’ ‘Breaking Bad’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday June 10, 2013 @ 10:30pm PDTTags: Critics' Choice Awards, Critics' Choice Awards 2013, FX, HBO

The third annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards were doled out tonight by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association at the Beverly Hilton, hosted by Parks & Recreation‘s Retta. HBO nabbed 4 wins including double honors for Best Movie/Miniseries Behind The Candelabra and star Michael Douglas, while FX notched quadruple wins including two acting awards for American Horror Story: Asylum‘s Zachary Quinto and Sarah Paulson and AMC‘s Breaking Bad nabbed Best Drama and Best Actor for Bryan Cranston. HBO’s Game Of Thrones shared Best Drama honors with Breaking Bad in one of the night’s three ties. Full list of winners: Read More »

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Global Showbiz Briefs: Keshet to Canada; Credit For Bona Film; NZ Lures Tourists With ‘Hobbit’; ‘Mr. Selfridge’ Selling; More

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday, 11 June 2013 05:36 UKTags: Keshet International, Shanghai International Film Festival, The Hobbit

Keshet Int’l Invades Canada With Mark Rubenstein
Keshet International is moving into Canada via a joint venture with veteran TV executive Mark Rubinstein. Keshet Canada will bring Keshet’s scripted and unscripted formats to the Canadian market and will look to develop, produce and co-produce original content. Rubinstein is a former president and CEO of Insight Sports and COO of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting. The venture will have the rights to over 50 Keshet International properties, to be produced in the territory under the Keshet Canada banner. Keshet, the company behind Prisoners Of War, the Israeli source of Homeland, has recently set up shop in Australia and the UK.

Bona Film Group Gets $34.2M Credit Line
China’s Bona Film Group, which part-owned by News Corp., has secured a $34.2M revolving credit line with China Minsheng Banking Corp. The facility will be for three years and will be used to help grow exhibition, production and distribution. News Corp. acquired a 19.9% equity stake in the Nasdaq-listed Bona in May 2012, and in October Fox International Productions and Bona entered a multi-picture co-producing pact for Chinese-language films. Bona this year released Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster. Its upcoming titles include rom-com My Lucky Star with Zhang Ziyi and China’s first 3D disaster film, Inferno, produced by Oxide and Danny Pang. The company also plans to double its theater network to 40 owned-and-operated cinemas before 2015. Read More »

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‘The Americans’ & ‘Breaking Bad’ Lead List Of 2013 TCA Awards Nominees

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday June 10, 2013 @ 10:34am PDTTags: Breaking Bad, TCA Awards 2013, The Americans

FX’s The Americans leads with four nominations for the 2013 TCA Awards and AMC’s Breaking Bad follows with three. NBC’s Parks And Recreation and Fox’s New Girl nabbed two noms each. The awards will be presented on August 3 at the Beverly Hilton. FX leads the network field with seven total noms. Click over for the complete list: Read More »

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BBC America’s ‘Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan’ Renewed For Season 2

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday June 10, 2013 @ 9:36am PDTTags: BBC America, Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan

BBC America announced today that original adventure series Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan will return for a second season. The docu-series follows Dominic Monaghan (Lost, Lord Of The Rings) as he takes viewers to the most remote corners of the globe in search of the biggest, scariest and most exotic animals on the planet. Commissioned by BBC America, the series is produced by Cream Productions and Wildfire Television. Executive producers are David Brady and Dominic Monaghan for Cream Productions and Philip Clarke for Wildfire Television. Series producer is Marianne Kushmaniuk. Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan will debut in 2014 on BBC America.

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Ray Winstone, Aneurin Barnard Board Sky’s ‘Moonfleet’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday, 10 June 2013 14:38 UKTags: Aneurin Barnard, Ray Winstone, Sky1 HD, The White Queen

Sky1 HD‘s latest original drama is a two-part adaptation of the John Meade Falkner adventure novel, Moonfleet. Ray Winstone will play Elzevir Block, the leader of a band of smugglers in 18th century Dorset, England. He’s joined by Aneurin Barnard (The White Queen, Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes) who plays a young newcomer to the smuggling crew as they embark on the hunt for a lost diamond. Ashley Pharoah, creator of the original Life On Mars, wrote the adaptation that also stars Ben Chaplin, Omid Djalili and Sophie Cookson. Shooting starts this summer in Dublin. Company Pictures, producer of Starz/BBC series The White Queen, is producing Moonfleet in association with Ireland’s Element Pictures. Bletchley Circle‘s Andy de Emmony directs and Endeavour‘s Dan McCulloch produces. Exec producers are Huw Kennair-Jones, John Yorke, Claire Ingham, Pharoah and Patrick Spence. Winstone is up next in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah playing villain to Russell Crowe’s ark builder.

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