David Farnor | On 15, Feb 2018

Troy: Fall of a City arrives this weekend on BBC One. The epic new series, co-produced by the Beeb and Netflix, is a visceral retelling of the fall of Troy in eight parts.

It is written by David Farr (The Night Manager) and told from the perspective of the Trojan family at the heart of the siege, as a love threatens to bring an empire to its knees. Combining thrilling adventure with heartbreaking intimacy, it explores primal emotions, the psychological repercussions of human actions and life-changing decisions amid the devastation and destruction of war.

Episode 1 will premiere on BBC One on Saturday 17th February at 9.10pm, with Netflix releasing the show exclusively outside of the UK.

The cast includes Frances O’Connor as Hecuba and David Threlfall as Priam, alongside Paris (Louis Hunter), Helen (Bella Dayne), Andromache (Chloe Pirrie), Hector (Tom Weston-Jones). Other cast members include Jonas Armstrong, Johnny Harris and David Avery.

The show arrives hot on the heels of previous BBC and Netflix co-production Requiem, which premiered all-at-once as a box set earlier this month.

Here’s a trailer:

 

Hakeem Kae-Kazim to play Zeus in BBC and Netflix’s Troy

27th July 2017

Hakeem Kae-Kazim will play Zeus in the BBC and Netflix’s new Troy series.

The epic eight-part fantasy will retell the ancient city’s fall, with Louis Hunter (The Fosters, Jack Goes Home) and Bella Dayne (Guerrilla, Humans) playing Paris and Helen, the lovers whose passionate affair plunged Greece and Troy into war, threatening to bring both empires to their knees.

Told from the perspective of the Trojan royal family at the heart of the siege, Troy: Fall Of A City is penned by The Night Manager writer David Farr, its sweeping narrative going back to the story’s origins: to the judgement of Paris, his scandalous love affair with Helen, and the ill-starred prophecy surrounding his birth.

No Greek legend, though, would be complete without the God of all Gods. Now, Variety reports the series has found its Zeus in British Nigerian actor Kae-Kazim.

He broke through to the world stage in his role as George Rutugunda in Hotel Rwanda, with other projects on his CV ranging from 24 and Pirates of the Caribbean to Criminal Minds, Gotham and Black Sails.

The drama will premiere in the UK on BBC One and globally outside of the UK on Netflix. It’s the latest in a string of co-productions between the streaming giant and UK broadcasters, which includes BBC Two’s The Last Kingdom. Shooting on Troy: Fall of a City is currently underway in Cape Town, South Africa.

 

BBC and Netflix’s Troy assembles cast

4th April 2017

The BBC and Netflix have assembled the cast for their new epic, Troy: Fall of a City.

The co-production between the broadcaster and the streaming giant was commissioned by BBC One and is produced by Wild Mercury in association with Kudos. The eight-part retelling of the ancient city’s fall will star Louis Hunter (The Fosters, Jack Goes Home) and Bella Dayne (Guerrilla, Humans) as Paris and Helen, the lovers whose passionate affair plunged Greece and Troy into war, threatening to bring both empires to their knees.

David Threlfall (Shameless, Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This) will play Paris’ father, King Priam of Troy, alongside Frances O’Connor (The Missing, Mr Selfridge) as Hecuba, Queen of Troy, and Tom Weston-Jones (Dickensian, Copper) as their eldest son Hector. They are joined by Joseph Mawle (Game Of Thrones, Ripper Street) as Odysseus, Chloe Pirrie (To Walk Invisible, War & Peace) as Andromache, Johnny Harris (This Is England 86-90, Jawbone) as Agamemnon, David Gyasi (Interstellar) as Achilles, and Jonas Armstrong (Dark Angel, Ripper Street) as Menelaos, the King of Sparta, whose marriage to Helen is destroyed when Paris arrives in his city.

Further casting includes Alfred Enoch (How To Get Away With Murder, Harry Potter) as the Trojan general, Aeneas, and Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Luther, The Detectorists) as Priam and Hecuba’s daughter, Cassandra.

Told from the perspective of the Trojan royal family at the heart of the siege, Troy: Fall Of A City is penned by The Night Manager writer David Farr, its sweeping narrative going back to the story’s origins: to the judgement of Paris, his scandalous love affair with Helen, and the ill-starred prophecy surrounding his birth.

Piers Wenger, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning, says: “We now have the perfect cast to bring David Farr’s extraordinary scripts to life, including, in Louis Hunter and Bella Dayne, two of the most exciting upcoming actors cast as two of mythology’s most iconic figures. Troy: Fall Of A City will be like nothing broadcast before; a 3,000 year old tale crafted on a huge scale, ready to enthral and capture the imaginations of BBC One viewers as if it were being told for the very first time.”

Farr adds: “I’m delighted we’ve assembled such a high-quality ensemble cast, mixing some exciting new faces with experienced actors whom I have long coveted and admired. The story we’re telling has an epic and political sweep but is also deeply human and intimate. I look forward to seeing these actors take you on the journey.”

Farr’s co-writers include Nancy Harris (Our New Girl, Good Karma Hospital), Mika Watkins (Lucky Man, Dixi), and Joe Barton (Humans, Our World War), with Owen Harris (Kill Your Friends, Black Mirror) and Mark Brozel (Humans, Dickensian) on board to direct.

Troy: Fall Of A City is filming on location in Cape Town and will premiere in the UK on BBC One and globally outside of the UK on Netflix. It’s the latest in a string of co-productions between the streaming giant and UK broadcasters, which includes The Last Kingdom, Season 2 of which is currently airing on both BBC Two in the UK and Netflix worldwide.

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