US/UK co-production The Night Manager, adapted from John Le Carré’s 1993 novel, already boasts Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie at the head of its cast. For some, that would be all that’s needed, but dramas usually require more actors to tell the story properly, so Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander and Elizabeth Debicki are all now aboard.
Produced as part of a deal struck between Mad Men home AMC and the Beeb, The Night Manager finds Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine, a former soldier who now works as a night manager in a luxury hotel.
When he crosses paths with a French-Arab woman named Sophie, who is linked to infamous English weapons merchant Richard Onslow Roper (Laurie), he comes into possession of some incriminating documents and sends them to a friend in the intelligence services. But then Sophie is murdered, and Pine is tasked by an operative (Colman) to go undercover as a part of a sting operative to take Roper and associates such as Corcoran (Hollander) down. Debicki, meanwhile, will be Roper’s romantic partner, Jed.
Hanna co-writer David Farr is scripting this one, with Susanne Bier directing all the episodes of the miniseries. It will kick off shooting in the coming months ready for a planned 2016 airing.
Colman has just been seen in the second series of Broadchurch, and will appear in musical adaptation London Road and offbeat romantic comedy drama The Lobster. Hollander has Tulip Fever awaiting release and is voicing/performing Tabaqui in Andy Serkis’ Jungle Book: Origins. Debicki, last seen in The Great Gatsby, is in the Michael Fassbender/Marion Cotillard Macbeth as Lady Macduff and will show up in both The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Everest.