The Witness for the Prosecution 2016 Adaptation

Tuppence

Filming begins today in Liverpool on The Witness For The Prosecution, a major adaptation by Sarah Phelps of Agatha Christie’s classic title. This new two-part drama reunites the team behind last December’s And Then There Were None. 

Adapted from Christie’s 23-page short story of the same title, The Witness For The Prosecution will be directed by the acclaimed film and television director, Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots, Becoming Jane, The Girl, Appropriate Adult) and produced by Colin Wratten, (The Musketeers, One Of Us). 

The all-star cast includes Toby Jones as Mayhew (Detectorists, Marvellous), Andrea Riseborough as Romaine (Birdman, Bloodlines), Kim Cattrall as Emily (Any Human Heart, Sex and the City), David Haig as Carter (Penny Dreadful, Mo), Billy Howle as Leonard (The Sense of an Ending, Cider with Rosie), and Monica Dolan as Janet (Eye in the Sky, The Casual Vacancy).

Find out about the cast and the adaptation here http://bit.ly/2bcsHVs

ChristieFanForLife

Looks like this adaptation will be based on the short story and not the play. If that is the case this will be the first time that has ever happened.

Anyways I always pictured Emily French to look older. Oh well . . . .I don't know how I feel about this adaptation yet because I feel like they are going to try to be more on the cutting edge like the And Then There Were None adaptation, adapted by the same Sarah Phelps. And that adaptation wasn't good at all in my opinion. So many A.C. adaptations today try so hard to appeal to the modern audience that the stories take unnecessary liberties. 

Tommy_A_Jones

Who was Emily French? I can't remember and does that mean Vole's Wife is being played by Kim Cattrel? she looks too old or the guy playing Vole Looks too young, Dolan and Haig will be good though, I can see why Jones is playing Mayhew, (It is a part his Dad could have played once.

ChristieFanForLife

Kim Cattrell is playing Emily French but she is suppose to be elderly and Cattrell looks too young for the role. 

Tommy_A_Jones

I got it wrong, Toby Jones isn't playing the Charles Laughton part, Who is?

GKCfan

I think Sir Wilfrid Robarts is only referred to in the short story, if at all.  Mathew the solicitor is the central character in the short story.  Christie switched the focus to Robarts for the play because the barrister does the work in the courtroom.

Tuppence

This adaptation is based on the short story of The Witness for the Prosecution, and not the play. Sir Wilfred Robarts appears only in the play. In the 1957 film adaptation Charles Laughton played Sir Wilfred Robarts, but as this adaptation is based on the short story, no one will play that role. Toby Jones will make a fantastic John Mayhew who is the solicitor fighting Leonard Vole's case. In  the short story Mayhew is referred to as Mayherne, but he is called Mayhew in Christie's play and in this adaptation.

Emily French is a wealthy widow and will be played by Kim Cattrall. We look forward to sharing photos of Kim as Emily as soon as they become available and hope that you are pleasantly surprised at her being cast for the role.

Andrea Riseborough takes on the role of Romaine, Leonard's partner. 

ChristieFanForLife

I like the fact that they are doing the short story and not another version of the play--It's something different and hasn't been done before and yet I'm still worried how the adaptation will look.

Tommy_A_Jones

I think That is a shame, for me it is a big disappointment, I can see Jones as Sir Wilfred and David Haig as the Solicitor, still should be good though.