First look pictures for the BBC’s exciting new western have been released, offering a glimpse of Emily Blunt’s transformation into a staid aristocrat.
The actress is set to play a lady thrown into the wild landscapes of Central America in the late 19th century who teams up with a former cavalry scout to reach the new town of Hoxem, all the while being embroiled in a love story and revenge .
The series, which will air on BBC in the UK and Prime Video in the US, is written and directed by award-winning Hugo Blick, who also wrote Amazon’s spy thriller The Honorable Woman.
Dramatic! First look pictures for the BBC’s exciting new western have been released, offering a glimpse of Emily Blunt’s transformation into a staid aristocrat
In the pictures, Emily embodies the haughty Victorian Lady Cornelia Locke, who is like a fish out of water in the harsh American West and will encounter terrible obstacles in order to reach her goal.
Another tense image shows Cornelia being protected by her traveling companion, Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), after the two reunite for their purposeful journey.
One of the images also features Scout Whip, a ready man brandishing a shotgun as his mission to reach the city collides with that of Cornelia.
Theatre! The actress is set to play a lady thrown into the wild Central American countryside at the end of the 19th century and allied with a former cavalry scout in search of revenge
In May 2021, it was first confirmed that Emily would be starring alongside Chaske Spencer in The English.
Written and directed by Blick – who also wrote Amazon’s spy thriller The Honorable Woman – the epic series is set in the mythical landscape of Central America in 1890.
The action follows Cornelia as she comes west – where she meets ex-cavalry scout Whipp – to exact revenge on the man she blames for her son’s death.
Determined: One of the images also features Scout Whip, a ready man brandishing a shotgun as his mission to reach the city collides with that of Cornelia
Cornelia and Eli soon discover a shared history that must be defeated at all costs if either of them is to survive.
The cast also includes Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom), Tom Hughes (Victoria), Stephen Rea (The Honorable Woman), Valerie Pachner (The Kingsman), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Ciaran Hinds (The Terror), Malcolm Storry (The Princess Bride), Steve Wall (The Witcher), Nichola McAuliffe (Tomorrow Never Dies), Sule Rimi (Black Earth Rising) and Cristian Solimeno (Avenue 5).
Speaking about working with Blunt, director Blick gushed, “The chance to do a western with Emily Blunt and the cast is so delicious I still wonder if this is one of those weird dreams we all have during the lockdown had…
“If not, there’s a suspenseful, romantic, epic horse opera coming to your screen sometime next year, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
So much acting! Cornelia and Eli soon discover a shared history that must be defeated at all costs if either of them is to survive
Greg Brenman, CEO of Drama Republic, who serves as executive producer on Drama Republic alongside Blick and Blunt, added of the project, “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 time we live in today as the time it is set in.”
Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, commented: I am delighted that Hugo’s beautiful scripts are finally being brought to life in The English.
“With a cast led by the extraordinary Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, I have no doubt this suspenseful and compelling story will be a treat for BBC audiences when it hits our screens.”
The English premieres this November on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Co-Star: British actor Rafe Spall will star alongside Blunt and Spencer (pictured on the set of The Salisbury Poisonings 2020)