BBC Two has acquired Trust, Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy’s re-telling of the notorious true-life kidnapping of the heir to billionaire John Paul Getty – one of the world’s wealthiest businessmen.
The ten-part series, which was created by Simon Beaufoy and executive produced by Danny Boyle, Beaufoy and Christian Colson, will premiere in the UK exclusively on BBC Two, and was acquired by the channel from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution.
Donald Sutherland stars as as J. Paul Getty Senior, the oil tycoon and art collector at the head of the Getty family, alongside a stellar cast that includes Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats), Anna Chancellor (Ordeal By Innocence), Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders), Amanda Drew (Broadchurch) and Sophie Winkleman (Peep Show).
The drams opens in 1973 with the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (Dickinson), heir to the Getty fortune, in Rome. His captors bank on a multi-million dollar ransom, but back in England Paul’s wealthy grandfather (Sutherland) refuses to pay up.
With Paul’s father (Michael Esper) lost in a drug-induced daze, it is left to Paul’s mother – the penniless Gail Getty (Swank) – to negotiate with both the increasingly desperate kidnappers and her stubborn former father-in-law to save her son.
Trust examines the corrosive power of money and explores the complexities at the heart of every family, rich or poor.
Patrick Holland, Controller of BBC Two, said: “I am tremendously excited that Trust is coming to BBC Two.
“The series has the unique scale, singular vision and extraordinary swagger that only Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy and Christian Colson can bring.”
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, added: “Trust is bold storytelling, made with verve, style and ambition.
“The Getty family have captured the public’s imagination like few others, and there is no better team to reimagine their story for television than the award-winning trio of Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy and Christian Colson.
“We’re very excited to bring this compelling new series to BBC Two.”
The show is produced by FX Productions, Cloud Eight Films, Decibel Films and Snicket Films Limited, and is distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution and will air on BBC Two from the autumn.