Jeremy Irons has joined the cast of Palme d'Or award-winning director Bille August's (The Best Intentions, Pelle the Conqueror) limited series, The Count of Monte Cristo, a "sprawling adaptation" of the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, Variety reported. Irons portrays Abbé Faria.
The English-language project is produced by Italian company Palomar (That Dirty Black Bag, The Name of the Rose), in collaboration with French banner DEMD Productions. The five-month shoot will wrap in Malta in December, after having filmed in France and Italy. This marks Irons's third collaboration with Danish filmmaker August, who directed him in Night Train to Lisbon and The House of Spirits.
Starring Sam Claflin as Edmond Dantes, The Count of Monte Cristo's cast also includes Ana Girardot, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Blake Ritson, Karla-Simone Spence, Michele Riondino, Lino Guanciale, Gabriella Pession, and Nicolas Maupas.
Noting that the journey to make the series "started five or six years ago," Carlo Degli Esposti, Palomar's co-founder and veteran producer, said, "The Count of Monte Cristo was my bedside book and it's been my lifelong dream to adapt it into a film or a series," adding that project will have "a modern edge while remaining faithful to the legacy of Alexandre Dumas's work."