BritBox UK commissions Marlow
May 5, 2021
BritBox UK has announced that the streamer has commissioned original 8 x 60’ scripted thriller Marlow from Motive Pictures and Endeavor Content.
Feuding families the Marlows and the Wyatts have existed in the “Edgelands” of the Thames Estuary for centuries – facing off across the water in this land of smugglers, mudlarks, entrepreneurs, opportunists. Natural enemies with a mutual fascination.
Claire Foy (The Crown, Wolf Hall) stars as Evie Wyatt. Estuary to her bones, born and bred, she returns to the Edgelands – the place she lost her father to a firestorm 15 lost years ago. She needs answers. She needs revenge. Evie is drawn back into conflict with the Marlow clan and finds herself in a battle with its ageing patriarch, Tom Marlow. Self-proclaimed King of the Edgelands, Marlow has plans to change its landscape forever – plans which Evie is destined to play her own part in as the twin fates of Evie and Marlow collide.
Marlow combines myth and legend, parable and tragedy, in a compelling and arresting modern epic that draws on ancient tales of revenge and fate. In the liminal world of the Edgelands, populated by characters whose truths are as shifting as the mud on which their empires are built, nothing is quite what it seems.
The series, which is due to go into production in Autumn, is created by BAFTA-winning screenwriter Tony Grisoni (Southcliffe, Red Riding) & Simon Maxwell (Deep State), who will both serve as Executive Producers along with Claire Foy. Additional cast and crew details will be released in due course.
Motive Pictures was established in 2019 by CEO Simon Maxwell, who was previously Head of International Drama at Channel 4. It is backed by Endeavor Content.
Claire Foy said: “I’m delighted to be a part of this compelling thriller. Tony and Simon’s scripts are so evocative of place and redolent with atmosphere – and the twists, turns and mysteries at the heart of this drama are utterly gripping. Evie Wyatt is such a captivating, complex and beguiling character, much like the enigmatic ‘Edgelands’ which she calls home, and I can’t wait to get to step into her shoes.”
Will Harrison, Managing Director BritBox UK commented “Marlow is a daring and intriguing concept, and exactly the kind of original content we want to offer our subscribers. Working with the calibre of Claire Foy, Tony Grisoni, Simon Maxwell and the Motive team is a privilege and we can’t wait to get started.”
Simon Maxwell, CEO of Motive Pictures, and Tony Grisoni said: “The Thames Estuary’s ‘Edgelands’ offer a unique and extraordinary world of mud, sea and infinite sky; of broken politics and dreams – the Thames mouth is at once a gateway to the world and the last wild frontier of our island existence. Marlow is a uniquely homegrown saga, a character driven crime epic about where we’ve come from; who we are now; what we might become. We are thrilled to be working with the extraordinary talents of Claire Foy and, as the home for the boldest new British drama, BritBox is the perfect home for our show.”
Marlow will be available exclusively to BritBox UK subscribers in 2022