Feminist twist to new le Carré adaptation
THE BBC’s production of The Night
Manager is the first television adaptation of a John le Carré novel for 20 years and, in a treat for fans, will even feature a cameo by the writer himself.
But the real surprise in store is that one of the leading male characters has been transformed into a woman.
Olivia Colman has been cast as Burr to bring the story up to date and add a new chemistry between her character and Roper, played by Hugh Laurie.
The actress, who filmed the role while expecting her third child, a daughter who was born in August, explained: “Angela Burr was initially written as a man in the book, so not only did they have to rethink the gender of the character, but also incorporate the fact that she is pregnant.” Colman had been signed up for the mini series before she announced she was pregnant.
Burr, an intelligence operative, is introduced in the novel as no-nonsense, with le Carré describing him as “an artist and a rebel... When he troubled to dress himself for an occasion, he only contrived to look more disreputable than when he wasn’t bothering.”
Susanne Bier, the show’s director, added: “We thought there was an exciting chemistry between a woman and a man engaging in the power struggle that Roper and Burr have.”
The switch comes after Emma Rice, the artistic director of London’s Globe theatre, announced she will be changing the title of an upcoming production of Cymbeline to Imogen to highlight the role of the king’s daughter. “Imogen speaks three times more lines than Cymbeline so it really is her story,” Rice said last week. “We are saying women have a strong narrative in these plays.”
Instead of being based in South America and Mexico, the le Carré adaptation will be set in Cairo during the Arab Spring, with Tom Hiddleston as the hotel night manager Jonathan Pine. Other film locations include Mallorca, Morocco, London and Devon.
It is the first time the novel has been adapted for television and le Carré was so enthused he appeared as an extra, dining with Roper and Pine in a restaurant dressed in a smart suit.
The adaptation, due to be shown later this year, tells the story of a soldier turned hotel manager, who becomes embroiled in arms dealing, murder and the British intelligence service.
Laurie, who had vowed to adapt the novel after reading it when it was first released, said: “I fell in love with this book when I first read it back in 1993. I’d worshipped le Carré since I was a teenager, but this story I found endlessly intriguing, powerful and romantic, mythic almost.”