MGM+ has released the official trailer for its four-part adaptation of Charles Dickens‘ A Tale of Two Cities, starring Kit Harrington, François Civil and Mirren Mack. Daniel West created and wrote the limited series, while Richard Clark directs. MGM+ will premiere the drama on Sunday, September 6, followed by weekly episodes in the US, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and LATAM.
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The series draws from Dickens’ classic novel and follows a story shaped by sacrifice, unrequited love, political unrest and family. The plot begins in London in 1782, as conflict between France and Britain creates growing tension around the characters.
Mirren Mack plays Lucie Manette, a young woman who receives a message from Paris that changes the course of her life. Lucie has believed her father dead for almost 20 years, yet the message suggests that he may still live. Charles Darnay, an idealistic French emigré played by François Civil, brings the news.
Darnay soon faces his own crisis when authorities arrest him and charge him with treason. Lucie turns to Sydney Carton, a brilliant and erratic young lawyer played by Kit Harrington, and asks him to help free Darnay. She hopes Darnay can then take her to Paris, where she plans to search for her father.
Lucie’s connection with Darnay and Carton develops into a complicated love triangle. Both men seek her affection as she struggles with her feelings for each of them. Darnay and Carton share a strong physical resemblance, while their personalities and values differ sharply. Their lives become increasingly connected through love, marriage, tragedy and murder.
The story also follows the mounting anger of an oppressed population and the political instability surrounding France and Britain. Lucie’s search for her father places her personal circumstances within a larger period of conflict, while Darnay and Carton face choices that connect sacrifice and redemption to their relationships with her.
The cast brings together Harrington, known for Industry and Game of Thrones, Civil, whose credits include Beating Hearts and The Three Musketeers, and Mack, who has appeared in Miss Austen and Hedda.
Federation Stories produces A Tale of Two Cities in co-production with Federation Studio France and Thriker Films for MGM+ and the BBC. Polly Williams, Léo Becker, Sarah Best, Kit Harrington, Daniel West and Hong Khaou serve as executive producers. Simon Meyers, whose credits include I May Destroy You, produces the series. Richard Clark, known for Outlander, directs, while Federation International handles distribution.
Following its September 6 premiere, MGM+ will release one episode each week, bringing Daniel West’s four-part adaptation of Dickens’ novel to audiences in multiple international markets.
