Jim Broadbent to Play Winston Churchill in New TV Drama?

The Daily Mail writes that Jim Broadbent is being courted for the role of Winston Churchill in a new, eight-part television drama about the days leading up to the start of World War II in 1939.

Read the original news here.

Shawn Slovo penned the pilot and has planned out the rest of the series. No word yet on a title. The project is expected to begin filming late this summer or early fall if given the go-ahead by Working Title Television and the BBC.

The series "will show how Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was forced to make Churchill First Lord of the Admiralty (the second time he held the post), and how he and Churchill (and other Ministers) clashed over war-time strategy". In addition, "behind-the-scenes deliberations between Churchill, top government officials, armed services departments and diplomats will be looked at", à la the day-to-day style of Aaron Sorkin's long-running series The West Wing.

Broadbent is known for his roles in the films Topsy-Turvy, Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Bridget Jones' Diary, Hot Fuzz, The Iron Lady, Cloud Atlas and the Harry Potter series. He also starred on the small screen in Longford, which earned him a Golden Globe.

Trained in the theatre, Broadbent appeared in many productions for The National Theatre of Brent, including The Messiah, The Complete Guide to Sex, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Revolution!! and All The World's A Globe. He also starred at the Royal Court in Kafka's Dick and Our Country's Good, as well as The Government Inspector at the Royal National Theatre.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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