Joseph Fiennes On Board Cyrano de Bergerac Drama

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The drama “commissioning club” Atrium TV has unveiled its latest slate, which includes the six-part Cyrano, based on Edmond Rostand’s classic play Cyrano de Bergerac, with Joseph Fiennes attached to star and executive produce.

Set in 17th-century France, Cyrano will reimagine the classic play for a modern audience. Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) will play the title role. He commented: “This is a timeless tale of unrequited love and of lives entwined in a dance of deceit and delusion. I am looking forward to getting to grips with the compelling and contradictory character of Cyrano, and it has been a wonderful experience to pitch Tracy’s brilliant vision for him to Atrium TV and its members.”

The Body is an eight-part series based on the novella of the same name by Hanif Kureishi. Written and created by Robert Murphy (Inspector George Gently, Meadowlands), the drama will explore themes of consciousness, soul, race, gender, class, wealth and power, but ultimately is a story about love, family and what it means to be human.

Clara Vine is an eight-part espionage thriller adapted by writer Jane English (Harlots, Sugar Rush) from the international best-selling Clara Vine novels by Jane Thynne.

The Mexican Witch Hunt is a supernatural thriller, created by Sylvain ‘Sly’ Raymond and written by John Cabrera (H+, The Homes, Diversion End), that follows an ongoing manhunt for Miguel Angel Rodriguez Esperanza, an illegal Mexican immigrant suspected of a killing spree in Arizona. Helped by his girlfriend, his adoptive son and a mysterious Native American, Miguel is intent on making it to Coronado National Park, close to the Mexican border, where he wishes to crucify Virginia, an innocent college girl that he thinks is a witch.

Richard Halliwell, CEO of Atrium, commented: “We are delighted that this fantastic mix of writing, producing and acting talent could come to Cannes to present their visions for these projects to our members at this third Club meeting. From 17th-century France and 1930s Germany to present-day America and a near future when we might live forever, these four projects are all rich with story and characters and each is immediately intriguing, providing new takes on universal themes. Our members demand standout programming for their customers, and we are confident that these new projects will each appeal across the numerous markets in which our members operate.”