Having worked together on Taboo and the recent Charles Dickens’ adaptation A Christmas Carol, Tom Hardy, Steven Knight and Ridley Scott are set to reunite to take on another Dickens classic in Great Expectations.
“Adapting Dickens’ work is a delight,” said Peaky Blinders creator Knight. “I chose Great Expectations as the next work to bring to the screen not just because of the timeless characters, but also because of the very timely story. A story of class mobility and class intransigence, told through an intensely emotional and personal first person narrative. As the son of a Blacksmith myself, Pip’s journey from the forge into society is a very special one to me.”
“FX is honored to begin the next chapter of collaboration with Steven Knight, Ridley Scott, Tom Hardy and their teams as they reunite for this modern adaption of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Their inaugural Dickens adaptation, A Christmas Carol, was a great success both creatively and commercially. We want to thank our partners at the BBC, Scott Free and Hardy Son & Baker for their support and can’t wait to get to work on this project.”
Great Expectations has previously been adapted for the screen on numerous occasions, including the 1946 classic from legendary British filmmaker David Lean, and the 2012 adaptation from director Mike Newell and starring Jeremy Irvine as Pip.
Knight is writing the new six-part adaptation, which is being produced by BBC One and FX and is slated to shoot in 2021.
