Gemma Arterton is set to star in a new BBC adaptation of Henry James's 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady. The six-episode limited series will also feature Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson, among a star-studded cast.
Cast and Characters
Arterton will play Madame Merle, a scheming American ex-pat. BAFTA-nominee Nell Tiger Free, known for Servant, takes the lead role of Isabel Archer, a spirited young American who inherits a fortune and falls prey to manipulators. Jim Sturgess portrays the charming but calculating Gilbert Osmond. Bill Nighy plays Mr Touchett, who is enamoured with Isabel's spirit, while Miranda Richardson plays her eccentric aunt, Mrs Touchett, who brings her to Europe in search of a husband.
Additional cast includes Jack Wolfe as Ralph Touchett, Calypso Cragg as Pansy Osmond, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Henrietta Stackpole, Hugh Skinner as Lord Warburton, and Dean-Charles Chapman from Game of Thrones.
Production and Filming
The drama is currently filming across the UK, Hungary, and Croatia. Producers Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen of Number 9 Films TV said: 'We are so pleased to be finally making this Henry James classic, which was far ahead of its time, with our friends at Masterpiece and the BBC.' They added: 'We find it astonishing that James' prescient story has not been made for television for nearly 60 years, but like all great things, it will definitely be worth the wait.'
Broadcast Details
The Portrait of a Lady will premiere on Masterpiece on PBS, streaming on the PBS app and PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video in the US and Canada, and on iPlayer and BBC One in the UK. Sue Deeks, head of scripted pre-buy acquisitions at the BBC, commented: 'We are so delighted to be involved in what I have no doubt, given the outstanding talent involved, will be a truly exceptional production of Henry James' masterpiece.'
