David Oyelowo To Star In TV Adaptation Of ‘Les Misérables’
It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of the talented David Oyelowo on the big and small screen. Already set to be in three movies this year and an upcoming musical, the British-Nigerian actor was just announced as the star of BBC’s miniseries adaptation of Les Misérables.
Oyelowo will be starring alongside The Wire‘s Dominic West and The Blind Side‘s Lily Collins. Based on Victor Hugo’s iconic 1862 novel, the story follows Jean Valjean (West), a French convict who struggles to escape his past while being hunted over a parole violation by Inspector Javert (Oyelowo).
The six-part adaptation is being written by Andrew Davies, who has a slew of successful TV adaptations to his name — including 2016’s War and Peace, 1995’s Pride and Prejudice and 2008’s Little Dorrit, which ended up winning seven Emmy awards.
Speaking about the part and his admiration of Davies, Oyelowo said:
“To play an iconic role like Javert is any actor’s dream, but to play it as written by Andrew Davies goes beyond my wildest dreams.”
Since its original publication, Les Misérables has been adapted a number of times. The most recent adaptation was the 2012 Oscar-winning musical starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe. Filming of the BBC miniseries will begin next month.
