FX & BBC One Team for Adaption of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

FX and BBC One are reteaming with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and Tom Hardy’s Hardy Son & Baker on a new three-part adaptation of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic A Christmas Carol.

The cast features Guy Pearce (Mary Queen of Scots) playing Ebenezer Scrooge; Andy Serkis (Black Panther) as the Ghost of Christmas Past; Stephen Graham (This Is England) as Jacob Marley; Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders) as Lottie; Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) as Bob Cratchit; Vinette Robinson (Doctor Who) as Mary Cratchit; Rutger Hauer (True Blood) as the Ghost of Christmas Future; Kayvan Novak (What We Do in the Shadows) as Ali Baba; and Lenny Rush (Old Boys) as Tim Cratchit.

A Christmas Carol is the first in a series of adaptions of Dickens’ novels, commissioned by Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, and Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, that will air in the next few years. The special, slated to air in December on FX in the U.S., is the latest collaboration between the two broadcasters and the creative team behind the drama series Taboo.

Steven Knight (Taboo, Peaky Blinders) will pen the new take on the iconic ghost story. It will be directed by Nick Murphy (The Awakening).

Knight said, “This production of A Christmas Carol will respectfully present what we believe to be a timely interpretation of a timeless story.”

“We are incredibly proud to join the BBC in this latest creative venture, which builds on our expansive programming partnership to bring the best in television to audiences in the U.S. and U.K.,” said Eric Schrier, co-president of original programming at FX Networks and FX Productions. “Charles Dickens’ classics, including A Christmas Carol, are timeless tales that have been reimagined generation after generation. We couldn’t imagine a better team to undertake this enormous task than Steven Knight, Tom Hardy, Ridley Scott and their formidable production companies.”

Wenger added, “We’re incredibly excited that filming has begun on Steve Knight’s brilliant interpretation of A Christmas Carol, with Nick Murphy directing a phenomenal cast in what promises to be an iconic version of the classic tale.”