Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery is set to star in a new Netflix drama - and it sounds amazing! Based on the bestselling novel Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan, the series is about "sexual consent and privilege set in London".
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Michelle will play Kate, a criminal prosecutor who specialises in sexual crimes, while Sienna Miller will play Sophie Whitehouse as "an Oxford graduate, a wife and a mother of two whose perfectly charmed life is about to implode".
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Meanwhile, Rupert Friend will play a junior minister and Kate's husband. The show comes from the mind of David E. Kelly and Melissa James Gibson. David is best-known for his work on HBO's mega-hit, Big Little Lies, while Melissa is known for her work as showrunner on House of Cards - so Anatomy of a Scandal is certainly in safe hands.
The 2017 book by Sarah Vaughn, who is also working as a producer on the series, tells the story of Westminster politician James who is accused of rape by a woman with whom he had been having an affair. His wife, Sophie (Sienna Miller) despite being hurt by the affiar, is convinced her husband is innocent. Criminal barrister, Kate (Michelle Dockery), is convinced otherwise.
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The six-part drama was cast last year and filming reportedly began in early 2021. However, COVID-19 restrictions got in the way of lots of productions earlier this year and it's not yet confirmed when we can expect the series to land. We'll keep you posted...
© Photo: NetflixSienna Miller is also set to star
Meanwhile, Michelle has had a hugely busy time with her career lately, having recently starred in the Apple TV series Defending Jacob opposite Chris Evans, and doing voice work for the Disney series Amphibia.
She also reprised her role as Lady Mary Crawley for the film adaptation of Downton Abbey in 2019 and will appear in the upcoming sequel, which is due for release in March 2022.
Speaking about the movie, she told The Independent: "It feels like a long time coming. [The film] was rumoured for so long, then there was the question of: 'Are we going to do this?' Hugh Bonneville described it as though we were all holding hands on the edge of a cliff working out whether to jump.
© Photo: SkyMichelle is set to play Kate in the new series
"It felt that way, as though if we weren’t all going to do it, it wouldn’t work. And the timing was perfect, I thought, to get back together. It gave the audience enough time to miss it."
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She has also joked that she'd love to be considered for the role of Bond in the future, saying: "I love Bond, so yeah, I’d never say no! I think a lot is changing with those films – I’m looking forward to the next one for that reason."
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