Anya Taylor-Joy, Romola Garai and Alex Hassell will star in period thriller “The Miniaturist” for BBC One, the broadcaster announced Friday. The adaptation of the novel by Jessie Burton is produced by The Forge for the BBC and co-produced with PBS’ Masterpiece.
Now filming, “The Miniaturist” is set in 1686 and stars Taylor-Joy, the breakout star of recent horror hits “The Witch” and “Split,” as a young country woman who arrives in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of a wealthy merchant (Hassell).
When her husband presents her with a wedding gift of a cabinet that is a miniature replica of their home, furnished by an elusive miniaturist, she realizes the tiny creations mirror what is happening within the household and appear to predict the future with disturbing precision. Garai plays Hassell’s cold and domineering sister.
“I couldn’t be happier to tell this amazing and atmospheric story with such a wonderful group of people. I immediately fell in love with Nella’s resilience and am so looking forward to telling her story and helping to bring this magical book to life,” said Taylor-Joy of her leading role.
Adapted by John Brownlow, “The Miniaturist” is directed by Spanish director Guillem Morales and produced by Gethin Scourfield. Production is now underway, taking place in the Netherlands and the U.K. The cast also features Hayley Squires, following her BAFTA-nominated role in Ken Loach’s “I, Daniel Blake.” Royal Shakespeare Company actor Paapa Essiedu and “Humans” star Emily Berrington also star.
“The assembled cast is perfect to the vision I had in my mind’s eye in every way,” said Burton.
Kate Sinclair will serve as executive producer for The Forge alongside Elizabeth Kilgarriff for the BBC and Rebecca Eaton for Masterpiece.
