Production begins on The Beast Must Die

Production begins on The Beast Must Die

London, August 26th: The Beast Must Die, one of the scripted, original dramas announced by BritBox UK last month, begins production in and around the Isle of Wight on Monday for a duration of eleven weeks. It is the first drama to shoot for BritBox UK.

The original British five-part revenge thriller is being produced by New Regency Television International and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free. New Regency is also the international distributor on the production.

Director Dome Karukoski (Tolkien, Tom of Finland), Screenwriter Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest, Shetland, Vera) and the production team used the national lockdown to refine the scripts and narrative, and the start of production now signals a new way of working for the team.

The production has comprehensive Covid-19 protocols in place and is following strict social distancing guidelines, with all cast and crew required to wear masks at all times (except when cast are filming a scene). The cast and crew are also being tested routinely and will undergo daily temperature checks and health screenings, while on and off set ‘pods’ are being established to ensure safe interaction on the production.

Geraldine James (Back to Life, Anne with an E, Utopia), Maeve Dermody (Carnival Row, Marcella, The Frankenstein Chronicles) and newcomers Mia Tomlinson and Barney Sayburn are now joining recent BAFTA winner and Golden Globe & Emmy nominated Jared Harris (Chernobyl, The Crown, Mad Men), Cush Jumbo OBE (The Good Wife, Deadwater Fell), Billy Howle (MotherFatherSon, Witness For The Prosecution, On Chesil Beach) and Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Vanity Fair) to start filming.

In addition to Producer Sarada McDermott (Bridgerton, Hope Gap, Official Secrets), Heads of Department have been confirmed as Casting Director Kate Rhodes James (Line of Duty, Sherlock, The Terror, The Missing), Director of Photography Joel Devlin (The Trial of Christine Keeler, His Dark Materials, The ABC Murders, Doctor Foster), Production Designers Beck Rainford (The Third Day, Dark Money, Pure, National Treasure) and Linda Wilson (Belgravia, Killing Eve, I,Daniel Blake), Costume Designer Colleen Kelsall (Tolkien, The Watch, Doctor Thorne), Make Up & Hair Designer Jill Sweeney (The Pale Horse, White House Farm, Three Girls), Editors Mike Jones (End of the F***ing World, Liar, Pure, The Level) and Dan Roberts (Patrick Melrose, Trigonometry, His Dark Materials, Peaky Blinders) and First Assistant Director Tom Bassett (Bridgerton, Tolkien, Deep Water).

Dome Karukoski commented: “Gaby tricked me. I never anticipated to get so engaged with this evocative vendetta from a grieving mother, but that happened – and suddenly The Beast Must Die became an obsession for me. Pain and loss cause anger and the need to find revenge; to find a target. I find the story intriguing as to whether the beast is the person we want to take revenge upon or if the beast is within us - one who wants to replace grief with hate”. He added: “The production has given us the tools to portray this story safely and with great respect during these troubling times. I can’t wait to be back at work and do what directors love the most. Seeing actors like Cush, Jared, Billy and the iconic Geraldine James bring their heart and soul into these characters.”

Gaby Chiappe added: “What captured me when I read the novel was the combination of a thriller pulse and complex, nuanced characters; heightened action driven by truthful emotion. It’s what I hope I have managed to capture and translate to the screen more than eighty years after the book was first published. After so long spent in the company of the characters they are very real to me so it’s been hugely exciting to work with Dome and the production team and more recently with some of the actors to try and dig even deeper. I think the passion that has gone into developing this project through very difficult times, and the passion that is now going into shooting it in such challenging conditions, will make it something very special indeed.”

The Beast Must Die will be available exclusively on BritBox UK in 2021.

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Editor’s notes

About BritBox UK

BritBox is a digital video subscription service created by the BBC and ITV. The service brings the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place for £5.99 per month in HD. British TV boxsets from All 4 are also available and British films from Film 4 will launch on the service in 2020. The service includes high quality factual and entertainment content from Channel 5 plus original British comedies from Comedy Central UK. BritBox features the biggest collection of British content available on any streaming service, and brand new commissions for British production companies specifically created for BritBox. BritBox also offers expert curation and playlists that will enable viewers to easily find programmes they know and discover new favourites  via web, mobile, tablet, connected TVs and streaming devices including Fire TV, Apple TV & Chromecast. Content on BritBox can be downloaded and viewed offline where rights allow.

About New Regency

Founded in 1991 by renowned producer Arnon Milchan, New Regency is actively engaged in entertaining the world. The company has produced some of the most successful and critically-acclaimed films of all time with over 140 films and more than 50 television series in the company’s vast library, including Academy Award®-winner “The Revenant” (2016), the back-to-back Academy Award®-winning Best Pictures, “12 Years A Slave” (2014) and “Birdman” (2015) as well as the 2018 box office hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.” New Regency is dedicated to continuing to foster its unparalleled filmmaker relationships and today boasts partnerships with the most acclaimed and sought-after creative forces in the industry.

New Regency has recently focused efforts in expanding its content creation to include a dedicated team focused on television development and production for a global audience. Based out of London, New Regency Television International draws from the company’s long-established relationships with the best writing, directing, and producing talent. The division is focused on developing and producing high-end, authored and distinctive scripted content for the global marketplace.

New Regency’s upcoming film slate includes Adrian Lyne’s DEEP WATER, starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, a film adaptation of the acclaimed musical starring Richard E. Grant, Sharon Horgan, Sarah Lancashire and newcomer Max Harwood, an untitled original film from David O. Russell starring Christian Bale, Michael B. Jordan and Margot Robbie, as well as Robert Eggers’ THE NORTHMAN starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe.

About Scott Free

Scott Free, founded in 1995, is the film and television production vehicle of acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott. In the 25 years since Scott Free was formed, the company has earned over 100 Emmy nominations with 22 wins, and 28 Golden Globe nominations for its television projects.  Current productions include the forthcoming HBO Max sci-fi epic, RAISED BY WOLVES, the first-ever television series helmed by Ridley Scott, a drama about androids raising human children in an outer space colony; THE GOOD FIGHT, the critically-acclaimed CBS All Access spin-off of THE GOOD WIFE recently ordered to season five; an inventive heist anthology series, JIGSAW, to shoot in 2021 for Netflix; and Steve Knight’s upcoming adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic GREAT EXPECTATIONS for FX/BBC1. Other recently hailed Scott Free productions include Amazon’s epic drama, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE; two seasons of the AMC psychological horror series, THE TERROR and the BAFTA-winning TABOO for FX/BBC1.