EXCLUSIVE: Luke Evans is leading an ITV adaptation of political thriller The Party, a novel from Elizabeth Day, the host of the hit How to Fail podcast.
Sarah Solemani (Him & Her) is penning and starring in the adaptation, which also features Joanna Scanlan (Riot Women), Tom Cullen (House of the Dragon) and Lydia Leonard (Wolf Hall), and comes from Line of Duty producer World Productions.
The 2017 novel follows Martin Gilmour (Evans), a journalist shaped by his lifelong friendship with the wealthy and charismatic politician Ben Fitzmaurice (Cullen). Having met at an elite boarding school, Martin and Ben have an unbreakable bond. Three decades on, Martin is invited to Ben’s lavish birthday party at the Fitzmaurice’s country pile, but Martin fears that the publicity of Ben’s bid for Conservative leader will dredge up the secrets of their past with tragic consequences.
The show also features Sam Troughton (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth), Sally Scott (Crow Girl), Sinéad Matthews (Down Cemetery Road), Bally Gill (Slow Horses), Amaka Okafor (Secret Service) and Rakie Ayola (Falling). Cameras began rolling in Wales last month.
The five-part series sees Hobbit and Fast & Furious star Evans return to ITV for the first time since hit 2021 thriller The Pembrokeshire Murders, which also came from World Productions. Evans was most recently cast in Russell Crowe-starring action thriller Bear Country opposite Aaron Paul. His Stoic Productions outfit is producing The Party in association with World and ITV Studios and he will EP alongside Solemani and Day, along with World’s Simon Heath and Laura Cotton.
“From the moment I read Elizabeth Day’s novel, I knew it had the makings of something truly special for television,” said Evans. “To now be bringing The Party to life – both as an actor and as an executive producer through Stoic Productions – is incredibly rewarding. Sarah Solemani’s adaptation captures the emotional depth and tension of the story perfectly, and to collaborate once again with World Productions and ITV, alongside such an extraordinary cast, is a real privilege.”
Day has written a number of books and is perhaps best known for her hit How to Fail podcast, which has featured the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Kate Winslet and Gloria Steinem.
The Party will be directed by Viviane Andereggen (Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue) with Richard Burrell (Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue) producing. It will be distributed by ITV Studios. The production has received support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
The post Luke Evans Starring In ITV Thriller ‘The Party’ Adapted From Novel By ‘How To Fail’ Podcast’s Elizabeth Day appeared first on Deadline.
