Back in February, we learned that Benedict Cumberbatch would be adding yet another project to his slate: producing and starring in an adaptation of Edward St. Aubyn's semi-autobiographical Patrick Melrose book series. Hugo Weaving and Jennifer Jason Leigh are joining him in the cast.
Spanning from 1960s New York to early 2000 Britain, the show – each episode of which will adapt a single novel – explores key moments in the life of character Patrick Melrose. These will range from the abuse he suffered as a child from his father and a mother who allowed that abuse to continue, his rise as an aristocratic playboy, his descent into drug abuse and gradually his attempts toward recovery.
Key to his family suffering are his parents: his abusive father (Weaving) and his mother (Leigh) who seems to condone the behaviour and Melrose' own dangerous actions when he grows up. And they're not the only ones joining the ensemble, as The Crown's Anna Madeley is playing Melrose's wife. David Nicholls has written the adaptation of the series, with Edward Berger on to direct for Showtime and Sky Atlantic.
Leigh is on screens now in the new Twin Peaks, and will be seen in movies including LBJ and Good Time. Weaving has Jasper Jones headed to screens and is at work on the Peter Jackson-produced Mortal Engines.