Best known for her roles as the seductive Margaery Tyrell on Game of Thrones and daring film-maker Cressida in the last two Hunger Games films, British actress Natalie Dormer is headed Down Under for the new television adaptation of the 1967 Australian historical mystery novel, Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay.
Foxtel announced earlier today that Dormer will star as Mrs Hester Appleyard, the Headmistress of Appleyard College for Young Ladies in the upcoming Showcase limited series, scheduled to begin filming in late February.
Parallel to the original novel and the 1975 classic film adaptation directed by Peter Weir, Picnic at Hanging Rock follows the mysterious disappearance of several schoolgirls on Valentine’s Day in 1900 at Hanging Rock in Victoria.
Foxtel Head of Drama Penny Win stated: “Though the story remains in 1900, Picnic at Hanging Rock will be 21st century storytelling for the premium Foxtel drama audience.”
Picnic at Hanging Rock will also star Lola Bessis (Cassandra), Yael Stone (Orange Is the New Black) Anna McGahan (Anzac Girls), Sibylla Budd (Winners & Losers) Lily Sullivan (Camp), Madeleine Madden (Tomorrow When the War Began), Samara Weaving (Monster Trucks), Ruby Rees (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) and Inez Curro.
The six-part drama will premiere on Foxtel’s Showcase channel, with a date to be confirmed.
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