The BBC has unveiled a trailer for its long-anticipated adaptation of H. G. Wells’ 1898 novel War of the Worlds.
Please pause the music stream using the handy-dandy controller at the top of your screen so you can give the trailer your full attention.
The series has been in development for three years, but the trailer shows us the first significant footage from all that time. It was greenlit by the BBC in 2017, but didn’t enter production until early 2018, when [Rafe] Spall and [Eleanor]Tomlinson were cast as its leads and filming began in Liverpool. An official release date for The War of the Worlds has yet to be announced, but the trailer teases that it will debut on BBC One this autumn. It follows that there is no release date yet for when it might appear on BBCAmerica for viewers in the U.S. either.
Director Craig Viveiros said “HG Wells’ seminal novel has been adapted for the screen many times, but it’s always had a contemporary (and American) setting.” This three-part mini-series will be set in Edwardian England, roughly the same time period as Disney’s Oscar-winning movie Mary Poppins.
Rafe Spall (Agent C in Men in Black International, Eli Mills in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)and Eleanor Tomlinson (Mary Brighton in The Nevers, Demelza in Poldark, Eve in The Sarah Jane Adventures) star as George and Amy, a couple attempting to begin a new life together in London at the same time as aliens from Mars arrive on earth.
The mini-series will also feature Taliyah Blair (Lian in the live-action Aladdin, Anna in The Creeping) as Lillian, Philip Gascoyne (Dad’s Army Victoria & Albert: A Royal Wedding) as a Royal Navy officer, and Jonathan Aris (Senator Jebel in Rogue One: a Star Wars Story) as a priest. Freya Allen (Ciri in The Witcher) will be appearing in one episode as Mary. Rupert Graves (Inspector Lestrade in Sherlock, Ter-El in Krypton) will appear in one episode as Frederick.
Scriptwriter Peter Harness said, “The version of The War of the Worlds that I wanted to make is one that’s faithful to the tone and the spirit of the book, but which also feels contemporary, surprising and full of shocks: a collision of sci-fi, period drama and horror.” In other words, it’s a rip-roaring early 20th century science fiction adventure.
Are you looking forward to War of the Worlds? What do you think? There’s a comments section below – we always want to hear from you.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
