If you’ve been feeling bereft of TV drama since binge-watching the entirety of Normal People, or wondering what you’re going to watch after I May Destroy You, then we have good news: The Luminaries is set to be your latest TV obsession.
The six-part BBC adaptation of The Luminaries is based on Eleanor Catton’s 2013 Man Booker Prize-winning novel, and is billed as ‘an intricately woven, suspenseful tale of love, murder, magic, and revenge’.
According to the official synopsis, The Luminaries is an ‘epic story of love, murder and revenge, as men and women travelled across the world to make their fortunes. It is a 19th century tale of adventure and mystery, set on the Wild West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island in the boom years of the 1860s gold rush.
‘The story follows defiant young adventurer Anna Wetherell, who has sailed from Britain to New Zealand to begin a new life. There she meets the radiant Emery Staines, an encounter that triggers a strange kind of magic that neither can explain. As they fall in love, driven together and apart by fateful coincidence, these star-crossed lovers begin to wonder: do we make our fortunes, or do our fortunes make us?’
The cast consists of Casino Royale and Penny Dreadful star Eva Green as brothel madam Lydia Wells, Bridge of Spies actress Eve Hewson as adventurer Anna Wetherell, Himesh Patel (EastEnders) as Emery Staines, Ewen Leslie (The Cry) as Crosbie Wells, and New Zealand actor Marton Csokas as Francis Carver. Also on the cast list are Erik Thomson, Benedict Hardie, Yoson An and Richard Te Are.
We can’t wait for some good old fashioned murder mystery, the period drama costumes, and the beautiful New Zealand location.
The Luminaries will debut on BBC One on Sunday 21 June at 9pm and the full series will be available on BBC iPlayer. Watch the trailer below…