Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

Last updated

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
Genre Historical drama
Based on The Mirror & the Light
by Hilary Mantel
Written by Peter Straughan
Directed by Peter Kosminsky
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Colin Callender
  • Noëlette Buckley
  • Peter Kosminsky
  • Lucy Richer
  • Susanne Simpson
ProducerLisa Osbounre
Production companies Company Pictures
Playground

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is an upcoming historical drama television series. It is a second adaptation by Peter Straughan of the Wolf Hall novels by Hilary Mantel and covers The Mirror & the Light , the final novel in the trilogy. It has Peter Kosminsky returning to direct, Mark Rylance returning in the lead role of Thomas Cromwell, and Peter Straughan returning to write from the 2015 series Wolf Hall .

Contents

Premise

The series begins with Thomas Cromwell navigating the Tudor court in the aftermath of the 1536 execution of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn, and the monarch about to marry his third wife, Jane Seymour. [1]

Cast

Production

In March 2022, Mark Rylance confirmed that a second series was in development with scripts being worked on for six episodes and Peter Kosminsky set to return as director. [2] Hilary Mantel was acting as consultant on the script adaptation at the time of her death in September 2022. Kominsky, who worked closely with Mantel on the first series and had received installments of the original text as Mantel was writing the third installment of her historical trilogy, released in 2020, said that the series would continue as a "memorial" to the author. [3] Peter Straughan has again adapted the book for the series, as he had in season one, Playground and Company Pictures producing once more. [4] In November 2023, it was reported that broadcaster's Masterpiece PBS and the BBC were set to begin production on the series. [5] It is produced by Lisa Osborne and executive produced by Colin Callender and Noëlette Buckley for Playground, Kosminsky, Lucy Richer for the BBC and Susanne Simpson for Masterpiece. [6] On 3 April 2024, the BBC reported that filming had completed and released new pictures and additional casting information. [7] Dr Owen Emmerson was one of the consultants on the show. [8]

Casting

As well as Mark Rylance returning as Thomas Cromwell, Damian Lewis also returns as King Henry VIII and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey. Kate Phillips will also reprise her role as Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, with Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary. [9] The following month it was reported that Timothy Spall, Harriet Walter and Harry Melling had been added to the cast, [10] as well as Will Tudor, Will Keen and Viola Prettejohn. [11] The casting of the courtiers was more diverse for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. [12]

The casting of Egyptian-British Amir El-Masry as Thomas Wyatt was criticized by Wyatt's descendant, journalist Petronella Wyatt. [13] [14]

Filming

Filming got underway in late 2023. [15] Filming was reported at Berkeley Castle in February 2024. [16] The following month, filming took place at Wells Cathedral. [17]

Broadcast

The series will premiere in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 10 November 2024. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damian Lewis</span> British actor

Damian Watcyn Lewis is a British actor, musician and producer. He rose to prominence portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. Lewis won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of U.S. Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the Showtime series Homeland, and received nominations for his performance as Henry VIII of England in Wolf Hall. He portrayed Bobby Axelrod in the Showtime series Billions in six out of seven seasons, and appeared in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) as actor Steve McQueen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Brodie-Sangster</span> English actor (born 1990)

Thomas Brodie-Sangster is an English actor. As a child actor, he gained recognition for his roles in the commercially successful films Love Actually (2003) and Nanny McPhee (2005). He voiced Ferb in the first four seasons of Phineas and Ferb (2007–2015), and subsequently gained wider attention with his roles as Jake Murray in Accused (2010–2012), Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones (2013–2014) and Newt in the Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018). Continued acclaim ensued with the independent films Nowhere Boy (2009), in which he portrayed Paul McCartney, Bright Star (2009), and Death of a Superhero (2011).

Mark Smeaton was a musician at the court of Henry VIII of England, in the household of Queen Anne Boleyn. Smeaton – together with the Queen's brother George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford; Henry Norris; Francis Weston and William Brereton – was executed for treason and adultery with Queen Anne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Rylance</span> British actor, playwright and theatre director (born 1960)

Sir David Mark Rylance Waters is an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen, having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards. In 2016 he was included in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. In 2017 he was made a knight by Queen Elizabeth II.

Benjamin Charles Miles is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the television comedy Coupling, from 2000 to 2004, as Montague Dartie in The Forsyte Saga, from 2002 to 2003, as propagandist and television executive Roger Dascombe in 2005 film V for Vendetta, as Peter Townsend in the Netflix drama The Crown (2016–2017) and George in episode 8 "The One That Holds Everything" in the TV drama The Romanoffs (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilary Mantel</span> British writer (1952–2022)

Dame Hilary Mary Mantel was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, Every Day Is Mother's Day, was released in 1985. She went on to write 12 novels, two collections of short stories, a personal memoir, and numerous articles and opinion pieces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kosminsky</span> British writer, director and producer (born 1956)

Peter Kosminsky is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as White Oleander and television films like Warriors, The Government Inspector, The Promise, Wolf Hall and The State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Mary I of England</span>

Mary I of England has been depicted in popular culture a number of times.

<i>Wolf Hall</i> 2009 historical novel by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a sympathetic fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More. The novel won both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2012, The Observer named it as one of "The 10 best historical novels".

<i>Bring Up the Bodies</i> Historical novel by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up the Bodies is an historical novel by Hilary Mantel, sequel to the award-winning Wolf Hall (2009), and part of a trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in the court of King Henry VIII. It won the 2012 Man Booker Prize and the 2012 Costa Book of the Year. The final novel in the trilogy is The Mirror & the Light (2020).

<i>The Mirror & the Light</i> Book by Hilary Mantel

The Mirror & the Light is a 2020 historical novel by English writer Hilary Mantel and the final novel published in her lifetime, appearing two and a half years before her death. Following Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring Up the Bodies (2012), it is the final instalment in her trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, minister in the court of King Henry VIII. It covers the last four years of his life, from 1536 until his death by execution in 1540.

<i>Wolf Hall</i> (TV series) 2015 British television drama series

Wolf Hall is a British television serial first broadcast on BBC Two in January 2015. The six-part series is an adaptation of two of Hilary Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, a fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More, followed by Cromwell's success in freeing the king of his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Wolf Hall was first broadcast in April 2015 in the United States on PBS and in Australia on BBC First. It was reported in 2022 that a second series, covering the final novel in the trilogy, was in pre-production, with Mark Rylance, director Peter Kosminsky, and writer Peter Straughan returning.

"Three Card Trick" is the first episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall. It was first broadcast on 21 January 2015.

Playground Entertainment is a television, film and theatre production company with offices in New York and London, founded in 2012 by Sir Colin Callender, former President of HBO Films.

"Entirely Beloved" is the second episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall. It was first broadcast on 28 January 2015.

"Anna Regina" is the third episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall. It was first broadcast on 4 February 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Steele</span> British actress

Hannah Steele is an actress notable for her roles in Wolf Hall (2015), The Night Manager (2016), Black Mirror episode: "Shut Up and Dance" (2016), Darkest Hour (2017). Other credits include Doctors (2010), Casualty, The Young Karl Marx (2017), Love, Lies and Records (2017), and A Christmas Number One (2021).

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two is a two-part play based on Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring Up the Bodies (2013), adapted for the stage by Mike Poulton. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a sympathetic fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More.

<i>The Mirror and the Light</i> (play) 2021 play

The Mirror and the Light is a play by Hilary Mantel and Ben Miles based on Mantel's 2020 book of the same name. It is the third part to Wolf Hall Parts One & Two which is a double-bill play based on Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Thomas Cromwell was Chief Minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1534 to 1540. He played a prominent role in the important events of Henry's reign, including the king's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, the execution of Anne Boleyn, the marriage to Anne of Cleves, the Dissolution of the monasteries, and the English Reformation. These dramatic events have provided the inspiration for plays, novels and films from shortly after his death until modern times.

References

  1. ↑ Lewis, Isobel (20 November 2023). "BBC Wolf Hall team to reunite for Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light, final book of Cromwell Trilogy". Independent. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Mark Rylance confirms sequel to Wolf Hall adaptation". RTE. Press Association. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Ravindran, Manori (23 September 2022). "Hilary Mantel's 'The Mirror and the Light' BBC Adaptation Will Continue as a 'Memorial' to Great British Author (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  4. ↑ O'Rourke, Ryan (20 November 2023). "Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance Return for 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'". Collider. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "'Wolf Hall: The Mirror And the Light': Masterpiece & BBC To Begin Production On Hilary Mantel Adaptation Starring Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis". Deadline Hollywood. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Brew, Caroline; Thompson, Jaden; Wu, Valerie (20 November 2023). "Damian Lewis, Jonathan Pryce and Mark Rylance Return to 'Wolf Hall' for Final Chapter (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "BBC releases first-look pictures for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light as filming wraps on the forthcoming series". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "Wolf Hall Broadcast Date". Twitter. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  9. ↑ Porter, Rick (20 November 2023). "'Wolf Hall' Sequel With Damian Lewis, Mark Rylance Sets Production Start for PBS, BBC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  10. ↑ White, Peter (4 December 2023). "Harriet Walter, Timothy Spall & Harry Melling Join BBC & Masterpiece's 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Cast named for the return of Wolf Hall". Televisial. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  12. ↑ Faber, Alex (3 April 2024). "BBC's Wolf Hall returns to TV screens with diverse cast of courtiers". The Times. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Kanter, Jake (10 April 2024). "'Wolf Hall' Criticized By Newspaper Columnist For "Absurd" Decision To Cast Egyptian-Born Actor As Her Yorkshire Ancestor". Deadline. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  14. ↑ Wyatt, Petronella (9 April 2024). "Wolf Hall is back – but casting a mixed-race British-Egyptian as my ancestor Thomas Wyatt is absurd". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  15. ↑ Jessop, Vicky (4 December 2023). "Wolf Hall: Mark Rylance and star-studded cast return for final series, plus Harriet Walter and Timothy Spall". Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  16. ↑ Horton, Kim (8 February 2024). "TV crews spotted at Berkeley Castle amid BBC Wolf Hall filming speculation". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  17. ↑ "Filming for BBC drama rumoured to be Wolf Hall in Wells". Somerset County Gazette. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  18. ↑ Craig, David (29 October 2024). "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light air date confirmed by BBC as Thomas Cromwell drama returns". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.