Fasten thy ruff for we have a world first glimpse at Mark Rylance’s hero/protagonist Thomas Cromwell in the eagerly awaited adaptation of Wolf Hall. If the Booker-winning books are any indicator, Rylance’s pensive frown masks a world of concerns as his statesman attempts to survive the sharky waters of Henry VIII’s (Damian Lewis) court. Although the BBC series is called Wolf Hall, it actually combines Hilary Mantel’s novel with its sequel, Bring Up The Bodies, across six parts brimming with Tudor intrigue as Lewis’s chicken-chewing sovereign navigates the choppy waters of European power politics, the pressures of Rome and the lack of a good Nando’s in the Hampton Court area.
“We assured Hilary we’d be true to her version of history,” producer Mark Pybus tells Empire. “And that means showing the dirt beneath the fingernails.”
With £7 million sunk into recreating the 16th century and a 120-strong cast that also boasts Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey and Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn, there are plenty of reasons to think they’ve achieved that goal. For the Beeb, though, there’s one that stands head and shoulders (and furry hat) above the others. “Mark (Rylance) is arguably the most respected theatre actor of his generation,” Pybus eulogises, “but it suits us that TV audiences won’t know him so well. Like Hilary's Cromwell, you get to know him in a slow and incredibly powerful way.”
For more on Wolf Hall, as well as first looks at other winter season TV premieres including Gotham, Better Call Saul, Agent Carter and The Flash, pick up the new issue of Empire. It’s on all good newsstands from Thursday but can be purchased without so much as leaving your web browser right here{