The BBC has announced the cast of the forthcoming six-part adaptation of acclaimed novel The Luminaries.
Eva Green will star in the period drama set in 19th century New Zealand, alongside Eve Hewson.
Author Eleanor Catton, who has penned the screenplay for the TV series, won the Man Booker Prize in 2013 for her tale of love set during the New Zealand gold rush, and remains the youngest ever winner in the award’s history.
Bridge Of Spies actress Hewson will play principal character Anna Wetherell in the BBC2 drama, with Casino Royal and Penny Dreadful star Green playing the other lead, Lydia Wells.
Green said: “Eleanor has written a series of brilliant screenplays.
“I loved her original novel and it’s so exciting that her own screen adaptation reveals yet more exquisite material.”
🆕 @EveHewson and Eva Green will star in @BBCTwo adaptation of Eleanor Catton's @ManBookerPrize winning novel #TheLuminaries: https://t.co/SoMv09IFrK pic.twitter.com/L4J05plpMS
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) September 26, 2018
New Zealand actor Marton Csokas will feature alongside the female stars, with Claire McCarthy directing.
The story centres on Hewson’s character travelling to New Zealand from Britain, and is mapped on the movements of the zodiac.
Catton has taken on the challenge of adapting her own vast book – more than 800 pages, the longest of any Booker winner – for the screen, and has enjoyed the new process.
She said: “I’ve had tremendous fun adapting this novel for the screen and feel incredibly lucky to be working with such fantastic people across different art forms.
“Writing a novel is a solitary business, but writing for the screen is emphatically collaborative, and to see the world of The Luminaries enlarged and enriched in ways that go far beyond the scope of my own imagination has been a humbling and hugely exhilarating experience.”
Filming for the adaptation is taking place from November, with further announcements to be made.