Oscar Nominee Lesley Manville To Star In Upcoming Magpie Murders Adaption

Actor Lesley Manville is set to star in a six-part series based on Anthony Horowitz's crime thriller Magpie Murders. The series will be directed by Peter Cattaneo and will air on streaming platforms Britbox U.K. and PBS Masterpiece. The author Horowitz himself has written the screenplay for the show and it is being produced by Eleventh Hour Films. 

Horowitz's Magpie Murders is the first book of his mysterious Susan Ryeland series and received great recognition after its release in 2016. The book was named a New York Times Bestseller and it still holds its spot on the list. Manville will essay the role of Susan Ryeland, an editor who finds herself caught in several unexpected events.  

Manville expressed her delight as she said," I could not be happier to be playing Susan Ryeland. What a fabulous character for me to grapple with." She added that the fans of Horowitz's novel will be delighted to know that the crime thriller will now be made into a screenplay. Manville is an acclaimed actor as she has done renowned films in her career. She starred in the Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread and won nominations at Oscar and BAFTA. She was recently roped in to play the role of Princess Margaret in the upcoming seasons on the Netflix series The Crown. She is a recipient of prestigious British honour, a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire( CBE). 

The series' director Peter Cattaneo said that Anthony Horowitz has adapted his novel into "wonderfully witty and richly layered scripts." He added, "Two cleverly intertwined stories and a host of fascinating characters led by Lesley Manville make this an irresistible opportunity for a director.”

Horowitz also seemed hopeful about the upcoming series as he said, “Magpie Murders is a detective drama like no other and I hope it will delight and beguile audiences in equal measure.”

Feature image credits: Independent.uk, Peonise+bees