Emily Blunt is set to saddle up and lead The English, a six-part “high-octane epic Western” for the BBC and Amazon Studios.
Twilight alum Chaske Spencer will also star in the drama series from Hugo Blick (Black Earth Rising, The Honourable Woman) and produced by Drama Republic (Doctor Foster, Us, Black Earth Rising).
Other cast members include Rafe Spall (The Salisbury Poisonings, Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom), Tom Hughes (A Discovery of Witches, Victoria), Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line, The Honourable Woman), Valerie Pachner (The Kingsman), Toby Jones (Marvellous, Detectorists), Ciaran Hinds (The Terror, The Woman in Black), Malcolm Storry (The Princess Bride, Doc Martin), Steve Wall (Raised by Wolves, The Witcher), Nichola McAuliffe (Tomorrow Never Dies, Doctor Who), Sule Rimi (Black Earth Rising, Strike Back) and Cristian Solimeno (Avenue 5, Guilt).
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Set in the mythic mid-American landscape of 1890, The English — which has now started production in Spain — follows Cornelia Locke (Blunt), an Englishwoman who arrives into the West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. Upon meeting Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join forces and discover a shared history which must be defeated at all costs, if either of them are to survive.
“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,” said Blick. “If not, a thrilling, romantic, epic horse-opera is heading to your screen sometime next year, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
The show will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K., as well as Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
“Hugo Blick has created a compelling, modern love story set against the epic landscape of a Western,” said Greg Brenman, CEO of Drama Republic. “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.”
Brenman will executive produce for Drama Republic alongside Blick and Blunt. Mona Qureshi will executive produce for the BBC. The producer is Colin Wratten (Killing Eve, The Witness for the Prosecution). The English has been commissioned for the BBC by Charlotte Moore, chief content officer, and Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama Commissioning. Amazon Studios is co-producing in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in association with All3Media international. IllumiNative is consulting on the series.
