'Les Misérables' First Photos Tease Non-Musical PBS Adaptation
A non-musical six-part adaptation of "Les Misérables" is coming to PBS.
Non-musical. No songs. Because Victor Hugo wrote a novel, not a musical. And PBS is now adapting the book, not the musical.
The prestige series is a joint production of the BBC and PBS' Masterpiece. The first photos were recently revealed, showing Dominic West ("The Affair") as Jean Valjean, Lily Collins ("Okja") as Fantine, and David Oyelowo ("Selma") as Javert.
The cast also includes Olivia Colman (new Queen Elizabeth II on "The Crown") and Adeel Akhtar("The Night Manager") as Mr. and Mrs. Thénardier.
There have been so many Les Mis adaptations, but few come to mind that have skipped the iconic music. (Liam Neeson's 1998 film ... it doesn't come to mind without effort.)
Writer Andrew Davies (the original U.K. "House of Cards," "Pride and Prejudice," "War & Peace") explained his decision to skip the songs (via TVLine):
"Les Misérables is a huge iconic title. Most of us are familiar with the musical version which only offers a fragmentary outline of its story. I am thrilled to have the opportunity of doing real justice to Victor Hugo at last by adapting his masterpiece in a six-hour version for the BBC."
Stay tuned for the PBS premiere date for this series.
Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.