Step aside, Hugh Jackman! The BBC has announced plans to make a six-part miniseries of Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Miserables. The story, which has run as a popular West End musical and a 2012 film adaptation, follows Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who breaks parole and tries to build a new life for himself while being pursued by police inspector Javert.
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The new adaptation, which will begin filming in February 2018, will star The Affair's Dominic West as Valjean, and Spooks actor David Oyelowo as Javert. Speaking about the role, Dominic said: "Jean Valjean is one of the great characters in world literature. His epic journey of redemption is one of the extraordinary roles an actor can take on, and I can’t wait to get stuck in to bringing Andrew's brilliant adaptation to the screen," while David added: "To play an iconic role like Javert is any actor's dream, but to play it as written by Andrew Davies goes beyond my wildest dreams."
Dominic, David and Lily will have starring roles
The pair will be joined by Lily Collins who will star as Fantine, a mother who is forced into selling herself to take care of her daughter. She said: "I'm so thrilled to be playing Fantine. She is a legendary character whose tragic story feels as relevant to tell today as when Les Misérables was first published. Andrew's wonderful dramatisation opens up the character in fresh ways that I've never seen before in previous adaptations. And with this amazing cast coming together it really feels like it could be something very special indeed."
Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway starred in the 2012 adaptation
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The cast also includes Adeel Akhtar and Olivia Coleman as the villainous Monsieur and Madame Thénardier, Ellie Bamber as Cosette, Josh O’Connor as Marius and Erin Kellyman as Eponine. The Director of BBC Content Charlotte Moore said: "This impressive line-up of world-class actors clearly signals the huge ambition behind the retelling of this epic masterpiece for BBC One."