A movie adaptation of Prince Andrew’s “car crash” interview on his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is set for Netflix later this year.
Scoop stars Gillian Anderson as former Newsnight interviewer Emily Maitlis, opposite Rufus Sewell as the Duke of York.
The upcoming film, which released uncanny first-look photos of the stars today, is based on the memoir of former BBC Producer Sam McAlister, played by Billie Piper.
The author said: “It is beyond my wildest dreams, especially as a first-time writer, to end up working with this extraordinary cast, Netflix, and the amazing teams at The Lighthouse and Voltage.
“Watching Billie Piper, one of my favourite actresses, play ‘me’ will be a pinch myself moment and I’m truly thrilled to be involved in this film.”
Scoop’s synopsis reads: “The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen’s ‘Favourite son’. From navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew’s inner circle, the high stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal – to the jaw-dropping interview itself.
“SCOOP is the insider account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC, twin bastions of the British Establishment, spotlighting the journalists whose tenacity and guts broke through the highest of ceilings – and into the inner sanctum and calculations of a man with everything to lose.”
Director Philip Martin added: “I’m thrilled to be directing this film for Netflix and – together with an extraordinary cast – to be bringing Sam McAlister’s revelatory insider’s account to the screen. Uptempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breathtaking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew – to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections. It’s a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how – whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms – we judge what’s true.”
Scoop will hit Netflix later this year.
