Thomas Brodie-Sangster, the English actor who stole hearts in Love Actually and The Maze Runner saga, plays a thief of a different kind in The Artful Dodger.
Shot in Sydney, the eight-part series will stream from late November on Disney+ under the Star banner, and gets underway with fresh images which dropped early Thursday (Aug. 24).
The Artful Dodger traces the young adult life of Charles Dickens’ loveable rogue.
Set in 1850s Australia, in the bustling town of Port Victory, Jack Dawkins, the titular charter, is all grown up and graduated from pickpocket to surgeon.
His dodgy past comes back to bite him with the arrival of Fagin, who attempts to drag him back into society’s seedy underbelly.
This time, the Dodger is the target of another thief, Lady Belle, the Governor’s daughter and aspiring surgeon, who has come to steal his heart.
“From heists and life-and-death surgeries to the harsh realities of the criminal world mingling with the middle ground and gentry,” reads the blurb on the new production, The Artful Dodger “is a tale of reinvention, betrayal, redemption, and love with a twist.”
Brodie-Sangster stars alongside fellow Brit David Thewlis (as Fagin), with Australian talent Maia Mitchell, Damon Herriman, Miranda Tapsell, Tim Minchin, Susie Porter and others joining the cast.
The Artful Dodger arrives Nov. 29 on Disney+ and Hulu in the United States, and was presented at the most recent Disney Showcase in Singapore.
“This is our second locally produced scripted series and we’re excited to share it with audiences locally and internationally,” comments Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand senior VP and managing director.
A co-production with Sony Pictures Television’s Curio Pictures and produced by Beach Road Pictures, The Artful Dodger received financial support from state government through Screen NSW’s Made In NSW fund.
The series is created by James McNamara, David Maher and David Taylor. Jo Porter represents Curio Pictures as executive producer, David Maher and David Taylor represent Beach Road Pictures as executive producers.
James McNamara (co-creator, co-executive producer and writer), Andrew Knight (co-executive producer and writer), Jeffrey Walker (co-executive producer and director) and Ross Allsop (producer) round-out the producing team.