The Telegraph publishes new details of the ITV's Wuthering Heights three-part TV project and the parallel Ecosse Films WH film project. Some aspects become clarified.The Mammoth Screen production for ITV casts Tom Hardy (in the picture) as Heatchliff, Thanks to the anonymous reader who has pointed us in the right direction.Now, two of the hottest stars around will cast their spell as Heathcliff in rival versions of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.
Tom Hardy, 30, who won huge acclaim in Stuart: A Life Backwards, is being tipped to star in a three-part television version for ITV.
Michael Fassbender, 31, the star of Hex and 300, is being lined up by the producers of a British film version.
The competing adaptations, which will begin shooting later this year, will offer radically different takes on the classic 1847 novel.
The ITV drama will co-star newcomer Katie Riley as Cathy, and feature Andrew Lincoln and Sarah Lancashire in other key roles.
The production is being described as "edgy cool and raw" by sources close to the project.
In this version a distraught Heathcliff will kill himself on hearing the news about Cathy's death.
The film version, which has yet to cast the central female role of Cathy, is likely to stick more closely to the idea of Heathcliff and Cathy being teenagers.
Its script has been written by Olivia Hetreed, who wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film adaptation of Girl With A Pearl Earring.
Robert Bernstein, a producer with Ecosse, said: "Heathcliff is an immigrant thrust into a family, a social experiment gone wrong. It goes haywire.
"He's not domesticated enough to control his passions, which bubble out of control. Cathy can't let go of him – although he represents all the things she's scared of."
Patsy Stoneman, a Bronte specialist and the author of several books on Wuthering Heights, welcomed the new adaptations but said she doubted whether either project would capture the essence of the novel.
"There has never been a definitive visual adaptation and there never will be," she said.
"They are all partial perspectives on the novel, and it's not like you can add them all together to make a whole." (Chris Hastings and Beth Jones)
Wow. Great news. I like Tom as Heathcliff in a werid way. I think it's safe to assume now Michael will be playing Heathcliff in the movie verison.
ReplyDeleteHeathcliff kills himself??? Well, we lived through Hindley shooting Heathcliff we can get through this.
Bold move to cast a newcomer for Cathy i must say.
I wonder if the article is confused about Andrew Linclon as Edagr, maybe this article got it wrong and he is in the fim version or maybe the original source got it wrong, or assumed when he said he was playing Edagr it was in the fim.
Nice to see things moving along.
I just hope all these names are here to stay...
ReplyDeleteHeathcliff killing himself means we will only be getting the first part of Wuthering Heights, which is a bit sad. A weird move for Hetahcliff too. Hopefully the rest of the production will make up for it.
I guess Ruth Wilson's success is encouraging when casting newcomers.
The Lincoln/Linton movie/TV is turning into something is becoming awfully confusing, isn't it?
From what i've heard the ITV production starts filming June 2nd so i doubt there'll be significant cast changes at this late stage. I expect the rest of the cast will be along in the next few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI expect we'll have a Cathy replacement and final confirmation on Michael as Heathcliff soon as well.
Possibly a Rochester to Ellen's Jane as well?? God, i wonder if it'll be Michael Cera. Lol. Strange casting choice.I hope they don't turn it into Juno in 19 century England.
Faye - we had heard the film would start shooting in five weeks, where did you hear about June 2?
ReplyDeleteA 19th century Juno - now that would be something! :D
Someone sent me this. Apparently this site is reliable. It says it at the end of the June section.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myentertainmentworld.com/mew/tv_production_P.2.html
Thank you, Faye! I just realised, though, that five weeks and June 2 are practically the same date. It's nice to see things moving along.
ReplyDelete'will see a distraught Heathcliff kill himself on hearing the news of Cathy's death.'
ReplyDeleteWhat?
'Heathcliff killing himself means we will only be getting the first part of Wuthering Heights'
I hope not; the three parter aspect should cater for both generations.
I found this (apologies if already posted):
Patsy Stoneman, a Bront [sic] specialist and the author of several books on Wuthering Heights, welcomed the new adaptations but said she doubted whether either project could fully capture the essence of the novel.
"There has never been a definitive visual adaptation and there never will be," she said. "They are all partial perspectives on the novel, and it's not like you can add them all together to make a whole."
A spokeswoman for ITV said an announcement on the drama would be made in the next few weeks with the programmes expected to be shown this autumn or early next year.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/
entertainment/1381096/literary_
disapproval_as_rival_heathcliffs_
go_head_to_head/
My apologies: as I read the last few sentences of the blog entry, I see that you've already (how do you do it?) posted that.
ReplyDelete:)
Do you really think they will go on with the story after Heathcliff kills himself? That would be quite weird, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks for posting that anyway. Much appreciated.
Well, it seems to me that this will most likely be just the first half. If you look at the BBC production which is a five parter,the first three were dedicated to the first half of the novel so i imagine it will be like that.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they'll carry on without him. Strange move to have Heathcliff kill himslef, but i'll admit i'm intriuged to see how they approach that. Perhaps they'll use the "i can not live without my life...."line as a lead in to suicide.
I also think this won't tell the story of the second generation.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about Heathcliff's suicide. I just hope they won't 'overdo' it.
Although, physically not a perfect Heathcliff. I think Tom Hardy just has something, for me, that makes him Heathcliffian. Each to their own, i suppose. I wonder what Katie Riley looks like. Since we might get a blonde Cathy if Sienna Miller's cast. I hope she dies her hair if she gets the part though. Anyone know what Katie Riley looks like? Does she look like how Cathy os described?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if Katie Riley is a newcomer judging by the lack of info on her. If something about her comes our way we will share it. We are pretty curious too about her looks.
ReplyDeleteI have seen Charlotte Riley and i think she will make a good Cathy,
ReplyDeleteThe problem with WUTHERING HEIGHTS is that they never get it right, the wrong characters Heathcliff and Cathy always look to old,and if it is true that Heathcliff kills himself i think i will pass on watching this.
When it comes down to the outher classics they always do a good job but for some reason not with WUTHERING HEIGHTS i have also heard Sienna Miller is to star in the outher version i think i will pass on this too.
They ARE doing the second half of the novel.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1 - You should give both films at least a chance. Wuthering Heights *is* a difficult novel to adapt, but it takes a very bad version not to have something - however little - memorable. Perhaps one day we will have a definitive version made of patches :P
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2 - so they are saying now, which makes the Heathcliff kills himself comment very weird.
Well, this whole suicide idea came from an article that referred to Charlotte Riley as Katie Riley. So it's possibel they were mistaken, or it's possible that versions where mixed up and it is in fact Maybury's film version where this takes place. I think it's safe to say the ITV miniseries is doing the second half which means no Heathcliff killing himself.
ReplyDeleteThey could easily make a definitive version of Wuthering Heights,if they really wanted to.
ReplyDeleteThis was accomplished by the BBC IN 1979.This series starring Ken Hutchinson and kay adshead stayed very close to the book.
Although i have to admit it is a little outdated the acting is a bit overdone and the camera work is old fashioned.
But for its time it was very good.
Wow! Tom Hardy was a thunderous success as Heathcliff, to say the least! He completely embodied every aspect of a handsome, brooding, lost soul - all the while making me root for him! Great job Mr. Hardy!
ReplyDeleteWow from me, too! At this moment, I have only seen the first 2 hour installment on PBS and I am enthralled, and having not read the book, will be doing so in the very near future. I watched certain scenes again on the PBS website and there is much to gain from viewing more than once. The acting is strong and, at times, heartwrenching and believeably real. I have known people with the personalities of these characters and I find the connections in this adaptation electrifying to watch. Tom Hardy's portrayal of Heathcliff is extremely satisfying and I have come to the quick conclusion that this is an extraordinary actor with a full career ahead of him; his subtleness in his movements expressing emotion in scenes of tenderness bring me back to my own remembrances of such all-consuming passion of new found love, and his pure, raw, and hard emotion in scenes of pain hit the heart with an intense blow without fail. It is easy to understand how Heathcliff's feelings of abandonment from childhood shape his life throughout times of love and times of bitterness and I applaud the actor for allowing the viewer to feel some empathy for even a small amount of Heathcliff's life of turmoil.
ReplyDeleteI anxiously await for the conclusion, no matter how tormented and despairing it may be!
This version has been already shown in the USA, and i have seen clips of it on YouTube. Sorry to say but it looks terrible nothing like Wuthering heights. Lockwood is missing and Heathcliff is the one who sees Cathy's ghost at the window.
ReplyDeleteThe characters are all wrong, Edgar Linton with brown hair Isabella with red hair and it looks so changed it should just say very loosely based on wuthering heights.
If they can not at least try to stick to the book they should not bother to make any more versions of this classic book.
For more reviews look up Bronte blog USA.
when will this be on ITV?????? FAN OF TOM HARDY!!!
ReplyDeleteain't riley stunning!!! i hav jst watched da new wuthering heights and it is da best film i hav seen in my life!!! xxx
ReplyDelete