Samuel Barnett, star of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys and BBC One sitcom Beautiful People, has been cast as Dirk Gently in the BBC America adaption of Douglas Adams’ comic novels.
Barnett will join previously announced cast member Elijah Wood who plays Gently’s assistant Todd.
Penned by Max Landis, the mind behind cult classic Chronicle, the series is an eight-part co-production of AMC Studios, IDEATE MEDIA and IDW Entertainment.
“Dirk Gently’s characters are complete originals,” said Sarah Barnett, President and General Manager of BBC America. “Sam Barnett and Elijah Wood – who represent genius talent from both sides of the Atlantic – will brilliantly play these unique roles.”
Dirk Gently is a comedic thriller that follows the bizarre adventures of eccentric “holistic” detective Dirk Gently and his reluctant assistant Todd as they wend their way through one big, seemingly insane mystery a season, crossing unlikely paths with a bevy of wild and sometimes dangerous characters, each episode landing them a few random steps closer to uncovering the truth.
Dirk has strange, psychic abilities that enable him to sense invisible tangential connections.
He’s taken these strange abilities and has invented a new profession for himself: that of “holistic detective,” a term that reflects his belief in the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.
However, his abilities have condemned him to a life very much alone – this master of universal interconnectedness has spent a life ironically without human connection.