Emily Blunt to star in epic western series The English for BBC One
The actress will play an Englishwoman who arrives in the American West in 1890 in the drama from Black Earth Rising director Hugh Blick.
Emily Blunt will star opposite Chaske Spencer in epic western series The English for the BBC.
Set in 1890, The Quiet Place actress will play Cornelia Locke, an Englishwoman who arrives in the new and wild landscape of the American West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son.
Upon meeting Eli Whipp, played by Spencer, an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join together and discover a shared history which must be defeated at all costs, if either of them is to survive.
The six-part series, which is currently filming in Spain, will be written and directed by Hugo Blick, whose previous shows include The Honourable Woman and Black Earth Rising, and made by production company Drama Republic, which made Doctor Foster.
The cast will also include Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea and Valerie Pachner.
Blick said: “The chance to make a western with Emily Blunt and the cast is so delicious I’m still wondering if it’s one of those weird dreams we were all having during lockdown.
“If not, a thrilling, romantic, epic horse-opera is heading to your screen sometime next year, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Greg Brenman, chief executive of Drama Republic, said: “Hugo Blick has created a compelling, modern love story set against the epic landscape of a western.
“The English is a true adventure that will tell us as much about the times we live in today as the period in which it is set.”
The series will air on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK and on Amazon Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Piers Wenger, director of BBC drama, said: “I’m delighted that Hugo’s beautiful scripts are finally coming to life in The English.
“With a cast led by the exceptional Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, I have no doubt that this thrilling and compelling story will be a treat for BBC audiences when it hits our screens.”
