Production has begun on the BBC and Amazon Studios’ Western series “The English,” starring Emily Blunt. Details around the project were first revealed by Variety last year.
Produced by “Doctor Foster” outfit Drama Republic, the six-part series — which is currently filming in Spain — is led by Blunt (“A Quiet Place”) and Chaske Spencer (“The Twilight Saga,” “Banshee”) for BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K., and Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in association with All3Media International.
Written and directed by “The Honourable Woman” creator Hugo Blick, the show is set in the mid-American landscape of 1890, and follows Cornelia Locke (Blunt), an Englishwoman who arrives into the new and wild landscape of the West to get revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. Upon meeting Eli Whipp (Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join together and discover a shared history which must be defeated at all costs, if either of them are to survive.
Rounding out the cast is Rafe Spall (“The Salisbury Poisonings”), Tom Hughes (“A Discovery of Witches”), Stephen Rea (“The Shadow Line”), Valerie Pachner (“The Kingsman”), Toby Jones (“Marvellous”), Ciaran Hinds (“The Terror”), Malcolm Storry (“The Princess Bride”), Steve Wall (“Raised by Wolves”), Nichola McAuliffe (“Tomorrow Never Dies”), Sule Rimi (“Black Earth Rising”) and Cristian Solimeno (“Avenue 5”).
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Blick said: “The chance to make a Western with Emily Blunt and the cast is so delicious I’m still wondering if it’s one of those weird dreams we were all having during lockdown. If not, a thrilling, romantic, epic horse-opera is heading to your screen sometime next year, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Greg Brenman, CEO of Drama Republic, added: “Hugo Blick has created a compelling, modern love story set against the epic landscape of a Western. ‘The English’ is a true adventure that will tell us as much about the times we live in today as the period in which it is set.”
Piers Wenger, director of BBC Drama, said: “I’m delighted that Hugo’s beautiful scripts are finally coming to life in ‘The English.’ With a cast led by the exceptional Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, I have no doubt that this thrilling and compelling story will be a treat for BBC audiences when it hits our screens”.
Brad Beale, VP of worldwide licensing for Prime Video, said: “We can’t wait to break new ground and bring ‘The English’ to Prime Video. We know Hugo Blick’s incredible tale of love, loss, and revenge — brought to life on screen by the talented Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer, and the entire cast of ‘The English’ — will captivate Prime members across the globe.”
Brenman will executive produce for Drama Republic alongside Blick and Blunt. Mona Qureshi will executive produce for the BBC. The producer is Colin Wratten (“Killing Eve”).
“The English” has been commissioned for the BBC by Charlotte Moore, chief content officer, and Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama Commissioning. Amazon Studios is co-producing in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in association with All3Media international. IllumiNative are consulting with production on the series.
