TV

Emma Thompson to star in HBO/BBC series 'Years and Years'

By Karen Butler   |   Oct. 26, 2018 at 6:49 AM
Emma Thompson has signed on to lead the cast of "Years and Years," a futuristic family drama to air on the BBC and HBO. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI Rory Kinnear, Josh Hartnett, Danny Sapani, Eva Green, Billie Piper, Sam Mendes, Harry Treadaway and Timothy Dalton attend the premiere of "Penny Dreadful" in London on May 12, 2014. File Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI Emma Thompson arrives at a photocall for the film "The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)" during the 70th annual Cannes International Film Festival in France on May 21, 2017. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI

Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Love Actually and Nanny McPhee actress Emma Thompson is set to star in the futuristic drama, Years and Years.

"Two-time Oscar-winner Emma Thompson stars in the family saga as Vivienne Rook, an outspoken celebrity turned political figure whose controversial opinions divide the nation. She's a new breed of politician, an entertainer, a rebel, a trickster, and her rise to power leads us into an unknown future," a press release said.

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Production on the six-part series -- which follows a family over the course of 15 years -- began this week in Manchester. It was written by Doctor Who and A Very British Scandal scribe Russell T. Davies.

Co-starring Jessica Hynes, Rory Kinnear, Ruth Madeley, T'Nia Miller, Anne Reid and Russell Tovey, the show will air on the BBC in the United Kingdom and on HBO in the United States.

"HBO is thrilled to once again partner with the BBC and to be joining Red Production Company in showcasing the stellar work of Russell T. Davies and Emma Thompson with this sweeping family saga which captures the spirit of our time," Casey Bloys, president HBO programming, said in a statement Thursday.

Thompson's credits include the Harry Potter franchise, as well as Beauty & the Beast, Saving Mr. Banks, Brave, Angels in America, Sense and Sensibility, Howards End and Much Ado About Nothing. She will be seen next year in the Men in Black spin-off.