Rufus Sewell is to star in the eagerly awaited movie re-creating Prince Andrew’s infamous interview on the BBC’s flagship current affairs show, Newsnight.
Gillian Anderson has joined the investigative movie as Emily Maitlis, the former lead presenter of Newsnight. Rufus Sewell will play the disgraced royal.
Scoop is adapted from McAlister’s book “Scoops: Behind The Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews,” in which she details what happened behind the scenes of the interview, which is widely credited as being the final nail in the coffin of Andrew’s public role.
Amanda thirsk’s character will be played by Keeley Hawes and Billie Piper will star for McAlister who is the Newsnight producer, negotiated and secured the booking. Philip Martin (The Crown) is directing. Scoop is produced by Hilary Salmon and Radford Neville for The Lighthouse Film and Television.
McAlister said, “It is beyond my wildest dreams, especially as a first time writer, to end up working with this extraordinary cast, Netflix, and the amazing teams at The Lighthouse and Voltage. Watching Billie Piper, one of my favorite actresses, play ‘me’ will be a pinch myself moment and I’m truly thrilled to be involved in this film.”
Martin adds, “I’m thrilled to be directing this film for Netflix and – together with an extraordinary cast – to be bringing Sam McAlister’s revelatory insider’s account to the screen. Up-tempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breathtaking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew – to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections. It’s a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how – whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms – we judge what’s true.”
Netflix hasn’t confirmed the release date of Scoop. However, with filming for the feature film starting in February 2023, it is predicted that it will land on the streamer sometime in 2024.
