The Independent is reporting that Colin Farrell has signed on to lead the cast of the BBC’s four-part TV adaptation of Ian McGuire’s Man Booker Prize longlisted 2016 novel The North Water.
The series is being written and directed by Andrew Haigh (45 Years, Lean on Pete) and follows “a former army surgeon, Patrick Sumner, who joins a whaling expedition to the Arctic in the 1850s, led by Farrell’s murderous captain Henry Drax. The journey, though, is ill-fated, and Sumner finds himself struggling to survive in the harsh Arctic wasteland.”
“Casting the right leads is the most important part of any project and I’m thrilled to have Colin Farrell on board,” said Haigh. “I am a huge admirer of his work and can’t wait to see him bring Drax vividly to life.”
“Colin Farrell will bring a blend of brutality and humanity to Andrew Haigh’s superb adaptation of this savage novel,” added Piers Wenger, controller of BBC drama. “The North Water is a brooding and resonant story which is set to grip BBC Two viewers.”
The North Water marks Farrell’s first British TV role since Ballykissangel back in 1998. He’ll next be seen on the big screen in Disney’s live-action Dumbo movie from director Tim Burton.
