The Ink Factory, BBC ONE and AMC announced today that Emmy Award wiinner Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies, True Blood, Tarzan) will join Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth), in Park Chan-wook’s (Old Boy, The Handmaiden, Stoker) television debut The Little Drummer Girl, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by John le Carré. Production on the six-part mini-series begins early next year with global sales handled by Endeavor Content/IMG.
In The Little Drummer Girl, brilliant young actress Charlie (Pugh) strikes up an acquaintance with an intriguing stranger while on holiday in Greece, but it rapidly becomes apparent that his intentions are far from romantic. The man is Becker (Skarsgård), an Israeli intelligence officer, who entangles her in a complex and high stakes plot which unfolds as she takes on the role of a lifetime in the ‘theatre of the real’. Set in the late 1970s, yet sharply contemporary, The Little Drummer Girl weaves a dynamic and exciting story of espionage and international intrigue; of love and betrayal.
Simon and Stephen Cornwell, Co-CEOs and Founders of The Ink Factory said: “The level of expertise and creativity behind this series is unmatched, and we are excited to be gathering a cast of incredible talent to inhabit the brilliant world le Carré has created. Alexander Skarsgård is a captivating actor with great depth and we are delighted to have him join the project.”
Park Chan-wook added: “To play an enigmatic man who hides his true feelings deep inside, I couldn’t think of a more fitting actor. I believe Skarsgård’s growing depth as a great character actor and his soaring energy will elevate ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ to a higher place.”
The series will be financed and produced by The Ink Factory in partnership with 127 Wall and co-producers the BBC and AMC. Laura Hastings-Smith (Howards End, Macbeth and Hunger) will work as producer with Simon and Stephen Cornwell serving as Executive Producers alongside John le Carré, Mona Qureshi for the BBC, Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang for 127 Wall, and Wonjo Jeong.
Skarsgård will next be seen starring in Duncan Jones’ Mute opposite Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux and The Aftermath, starring opposite Keira Knightley. He will also be seen in Hold the Dark, Netflix’s adventure thriller from director Jeremy Saulnier. Skarsgård is currently shooting Hummingbird in Montreal, which he is co-starring in opposite Jesse Eisenberg, with Kim Nguyen directing. Skarsgård was most recently in Jean-Marc Vallée’s award-winning HBO series Big Little Lies, for which he won the Emmy for best supporting actor in a limited series.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
