BBC’s 1970s-set follow-up to ‘The Night Manager’ will be ‘incredibly current’

The director of the BBC’s upcoming adaptation of The Little Drummer Girl has described the story as “an extremely painful, but thrilling, romance.”

The makers of 2016’s The Night Manager have re-teamed to produce another six-part mini-series based on a hit John le Carré novel.

Starring Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) in the lead role, The Little Drummer Girl will see acclaimed director Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, The Handmaiden, Stoker) make his television debut.

The South Korean filmmaker commented: “Of le Carré’s many masterpieces, the one I love ahead of any other is The Little Drummer Girl. At the core of this story is an extremely painful, but thrilling, romance. This is what makes the story universal, reaching beyond borders and languages and remaining incredibly current.”

He added: “To adapt such a great work without losing its integrity, it needs the time and depth of a television series, and I am excited at the prospect of seeing how the drumbeats of Florence Pugh, the most energetic young female actor I have seen recently, will resonate with the audience.”

The official synopsis reads: “Set in the late 1970s, The Little Drummer Girl weaves a dynamic and exciting story of espionage and international intrigue; of love and betrayal. In this high-stakes drama, set against the background of rising tensions in the Middle East, a young, brilliant actress Charlie prepares for her ultimate role in ‘the theatre of the real’.”

The Night Manager is out now on DVD.

The Little Drummer Girl will begin filming in January 2018. The series is expected to air in 2018 on BBC One in the UK and on AMC in the US.