‘The Luminaries’ pics: First look at Eva Green in BBC’s New Zealand period drama

Filming is now underway on the BBC’s upcoming adaptation of The Luminaries.

Described as “an epic story of love, murder and revenge,” the six-part mini-series is set on the Wild West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island during the 1860s gold rush.

Adapted by novelist Eleanor Catton from her award-winning novel, The Luminaries is shooting on location in New Zealand and the first promotional photos have been released this week.

Penny Dreadful star Eva Green is leading cast as Lydia Wells.

Joining the former Bond girl in the TV series are Eve Hewson (Robin Hood, Bridge of Spies), Marton Csokas (Lord of the Rings), Himesh Patel (EastEnders), Benedict Hardie (Hacksaw Ridge), Yoson An (Mulan) and Ewen Leslie (Top of the Lake).

Screenplay writer and novelist Eleanor Catton previously commented: “I’ve had tremendous fun adapting this novel for the screen and feel incredibly lucky to be working with such fantastic people across different art forms.

“Writing a novel is a solitary business, but writing for the screen is emphatically collaborative, and to see the world of The Luminaries enlarged and enriched in ways that go far beyond the scope of my own imagination has been a humbling and hugely exhilarating experience.”

The Luminaries will air later this year in the UK on BBC Two and in New Zealand on TVNZ1.

The official synopsis reads: “The story follows defiant young adventurer Anna Wetherell, who has sailed from Britain to New Zealand to begin a new life. There she meets the radiant Emery Staines, an encounter that triggers a strange kind of magic that neither can explain.

“As they fall in love, driven together and apart by fateful coincidence, these star-crossed lovers begin to wonder: do we make our fortunes, or do our fortunes make us?”

Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries novel is available on Amazon.