HBO Acquires Kit Harington Miniseries Gunpowder for December Release

HBO has acquired the Kit Harington-led BBC One miniseries Gunpowder and plans to release the three-part drama in December, the premium cabler announced Tuesday. The miniseries is based on the real 17th century Gunpowder Plot, in which a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby tried and failed to kill the King of England

HBO has acquired the Kit Harington-led BBC One miniseries “Gunpowder” and plans to release the three-part drama in December, the premium cabler announced Tuesday.

The miniseries is based on the real 17th century “Gunpowder Plot,” in which a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby tried and failed to kill the King of England by blowing up the House of Lords. Harington stars as Catesby, who was a committed Catholic at a time when Protestant England persecuted Catholics relentlessly. The first episode will debut Dec. 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the other parts on the subsequent two nights at the same time.

“Three years ago, Daniel West and I conceived and began developing ‘Gunpowder’ with Kudos and Ronan Bennett,” said Harington. “We are now thrilled to share this unique story with the U.S. audience. I can’t think of a better place to do that than my home at HBO.”

Harington, who currently stars in HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” is a descendant of Catesby’s. He stars alongside Peter Mullan, Mark Gatiss, and Liv Tyler. Ronan Bennett served as writer with J. Blakeson directing. It was produced by Kudos–part of Endemol Shine Group–in association with Thriker Films, originally for BBC One.

Popular on Variety

“We are delighted to offer a platform for a project that is so close to Kit Harington’s heart,” says Kary Antholis, president of HBO miniseries and Cinemax programming. “Kit’s passion for and belief in ‘Gunpowder’ are evident in every frame of the miniseries.”

Executive producers on the project are Ollie Madden for Kudos, Matthew Read for the BBC, and Bennett. Harington and Daniel West are co-executive producers for Thriker Films. Laurie Borg produces. Endemol Shine International distributes the series internationally. The deal with HBO was struck by Matt Creasey, executive vice president of sales & acquisitions for Endemol Shine International.

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKDjq2taKaVrMBwt8itZKGZop67qMDOp2SgrZ6lvLiwxKtkoZqfYn5zfJFvZ2xqZmt8

 Share!