Victoria and Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman has been cast in a new BBC One adaptation of Helen FitzGerald’s The Cry.
Coleman will star opposite Ewen Leslie (Safe Harbour, Top of the Lake) in the four-part series which has been adapted by Jacquelin Perske and will be filmed in Scotland and Australia. Glendyn Ivin (Safe Harbour, Gallipoli, The Beautiful Lie), will direct.
Joanna (Coleman) and her husband Alistair (Leslie) deal with unthinkable tragedy under the white light of public scrutiny and in their private lives when their newborn baby is abducted from a small coastal town in Australia – changing their lives and their marriage forever.
It is the catalyst for a journey into the disintegrating psychology of a young woman, exposing the myths and truths of motherhood.
Coleman said: “I first read Jacquelin Perske’s script on a plane, it felt like walking a tightrope, racing page to page, unsettling, unknowable, uncomfortable, and thrilling.
“I look forward to tackling this challenge and bringing it to the screen with such a talented team in Glendyn Ivin, Brian Kaczynski and Claire Mundell with Synchronicity Films and the BBC.”
Ewen Leslie said: “From Helen FitzGerald’s addictive and exciting novel, to Jacquelin Perske’s beautifully written scripts, I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of the amazing team that has been formed to bring these complicated characters and thrilling story to the screen.”
Claire Mundell, Executive Producer, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to have Jenna and Ewen as our lead cast, and to be bringing this emotional rollercoaster of a story to BBC and international audiences.
“I’m honoured that Synchronicity’s first scripted commission for BBC Drama is Helen FitzGerald’s Scottish-Australian page turner The Cry, brought to the screen by the combined talents of writer Jacquelin Perske and director Glendyn Ivin.”
Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: “The Cry is an intense, psychological thriller which constantly surprises and I know that with the fantastic Jenna Coleman and Ewen Leslie leading the cast as the young couple thrown into haunting and exceptional circumstances, this will be a truly unmissable series for BBC One.”