As Danny Boyle now makes his way to television, helming the cop show “Babylon” for Channel 4 in the U.K., it’s not a surprise that some very strong talent is following him to the small screen. No matter what the format, Boyle is one whom people are eager to work with.
And so, Brit Marling and James Nesbitt are leading the ensemble cast for “Babylon” that includes Paterson Joseph, Jill Halfpenny, Adam Deacon, Daniel Kaluuya, Jonny Sweet, Andrew Brooke and Bertie Carvel. Penned by “Peep Show” writers Sam Bains and Jesse Armstrong, the comedy/drama will follow an American new-media expert who’s hired to transform the PR of the London police department. The premise will allow for a look at all levels of police work, in a show that is being described as “razor-sharp and visually audacious.” And things are moving quickly with shooting to get underway this fall, with a premiere date of early 2014.
Meanwhile, on this side of the ocean, Boyle is continuing to expand his TV work, teaming with “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours” writer and producer—Simon Beaufoy and Christian Colson respectively—for “Telemark.” The trio will be producing the FX 10-part mini-series “based on the true story of the British-trained Norwegian resistance fighters who sabotaged Hitler’s nuclear development program during World War II.” Remember that Michael Bay WWII project that was recently announced as something he’s developing to direct? Same story. No word yet on when “Telemark” might go into production, but we know which version of this story we’d prefer to see. (This one). [Deadline/THR]