The Weinstein Company has acquired the U.S. distribution television rights to the upcoming World War II alternate history thriller “SS-GB,” TheWrap has learned.
The series is based on the novel of the same name by Len Deighton and has been adapted for television by James Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
It is set in a 1940s Nazi occupied London, at a time when the Battle of Britain is lost, Winston Churchill is dead, and King George is held prisoner by the SS. The series will follow Scotland Yard detective Douglas Archer (Sam Riley) as he investigates what appears to be a simple black market murder, only to find himself dragged into a much darker and treacherous world.
The series will also Kate Bosworth, Jason Flemyng, James Cosmo, Aneurin Barnard and Maeve Dermody, as well as German actors Rainer Bock and Lars Eidinger.
German director Philipp Kadelbach will lead the project and it will be executive produced by Sid Gentle Films’ Sally Woodward Gentle and Lee Morris, along with Purvis and Wade.
“‘SS-GB’ is a brilliant exploration of ‘what if?’ What if Germany had won WWII? Len Deighton’s novel in the late ’70s was an iconic depiction of the potential dystopia that threatens society when a tyrant wins,” TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinsten said. “It’s great to reunite with Simon Vaughan and the BBC and we’re thrilled to be working with Sally Woodward Gentle and Sid Gentle Films.
“And with Philipp Kadelbach’s incredible visual depiction of this story, there’s room for another series,” Weinstein continued. “This is not just a one off. If Tom Hiddleston hasn’t already locked up the James Bond role, Sam Riley will be giving him a run for his money when people see this.”
Purvis and Wade added, “We enjoyed being part of the team that brought Len Deighton’s ‘SS-GB’ to television and it is testament to the quality of the show that the Weinstein Co. have partnered up to take this emotional and thrilling mini-series into America.”
The deal for the project was negotiated by David Glasser, Negeen Yazdi, James Gold, Michal Podell Steinberg, and Talia Houminer for TWC with BBCWW and Lookout Point.