We pay attention when David Tennant stars on something: Jessica Jones, Doctor Who, Good Omens... you name it. He is personality plus, with a knack to pick great genre roles. His latest role is a nod to one of the most influential creators of genre history. Tennant will be appearing in an eight-part BBC production called Jules Vernes Around the World In 80 Days. The first look is available here.
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Tennant plays the role of Phileas Fogg, while Ibrahim Koma is Passepartout's valet. Leonie Benesch (The Crown), plays Abigail Fix. Covid caused the production to be halted last season. However, it was picked up again in November 2020 to continue raving around the world. Although no release date has been announced, the teaser below suggests that it may be during the holidays.
This is a brief glimpse, but it gives you a good idea of the show's tone and global reach. Yes, we wanted Fogg to be an Englishman of high education and middle class, but I wanted him to have a childlike wonder. He has never been outside London, or to his club. Ashley Pharaoh, Deadline's head writer, said that Fogg was not only a man of the upper middle class, but also a person of extraordinary intelligence. When I realized that, I felt it was a love letter to all of the world. He travels to Paris, India, Hong Kong, Yemen, and is so excited to see the camels and learn about their cultures. It was like we were resetting our relationship to traveling and seeing the world.
Along with Tennant and Koma, Benesch, Jason Watkins (Dirk Gently), and Peter Sullivan, (The Borgias), are some of the guest stars. Steve Barron, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie, Brian Kelly (Torchwood) and Charles Beeson (The Borgias), are the episodes' directors.
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