Nell Tiger Free leads starry new Portrait of a Lady series
PBS Masterpiece, the BBC and Fox are mounting a new Henry James adaptation with Gemma Arterton, Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Nell Tiger Free is stepping into one of Henry James’ most famous heroines as PBS Masterpiece, the BBC and Fox Entertainment Global prepare a new television version of The Portrait of a Lady, Deadline reported.
The cast is stacked: Free leads as Isabel Archer, with Gemma Arterton, Jim Sturgess, Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson also attached to the period drama. Filming has begun in the UK, Hungary and Croatia, according to the report.
The series comes from writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz, whose credits include Colette, The Salt Path and She Said, and director Aisling Walsh, known for Room at the Top, Miss Austen and Maudie. Number 9 Films and Fox Entertainment Global are behind the production.
Who is playing whom
Free, known to many viewers from Game of Thrones, will play Isabel Archer, an American woman who leaves for Europe hungry for a wider life. Deadline reported that Isabel turns down several marriage proposals, then receives an unexpected inheritance that appears to offer her independence.
That fortune draws her into the orbit of two American expatriates: Madame Merle, played by BAFTA nominee Arterton, and Gilbert Osmond, played by Sturgess. In the story description reported by Deadline, Merle is elegant, while Osmond is charming and calculating.
Nighy, an Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner, will play Mr. Touchett. Richardson, also an Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner, will play Mrs. Touchett, Isabel’s eccentric aunt, who brings her to Europe while seeking a husband for her.
The wider ensemble includes Jack Wolfe as Ralph Touchett, Calypso Cragg as Pansy Osmond, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Henrietta Stackpole, Hugh Skinner as Lord Warburton, Hamish Frew as Casper Goodwood, Thomas Coombes as Mr. Bantling, Lydia Leonard as Countess Gemini and Dean-Charles Chapman as Edward Rosier, Deadline reported.
A classic back on screen
James’ novel was published in 1881 and remains one of the American-British author’s best-known works. Its last major screen adaptation was Jane Campion’s 1996 film starring Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich, which received two Oscar nominations. The BBC also made a television version in 1968 with Richard Chamberlain and Suzanne Neve.
Number 9 Films is producing the new series in association with Beta Film and High Road Entertainment. Fox Entertainment Global is handling worldwide sales, according to Deadline.
The BBC has pre-bought the series, the report said. PBS Masterpiece and the BBC have previously teamed on dramas including Wolf Hall and Miss Austen.
Number 9 Films chiefs Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen said the classic story “was far ahead of its time,” according to Deadline. Suzanne Simpson, scripted content chief at Masterpiece, said: “The caliber of talent behind this series is exceptional.”
Deadline reported that the deal was brokered by Richard Tulk-Hart for High Road Entertainment and Liz Tang for Fox Entertainment Global.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.