Starz and BBC Co-Produce 'The Dresser' Starring Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen

Starz, in partnership with the BBC, will produce and air the television adaptation of Ronald Harwood’s classic play “The Dresser,” set against the backdrop of World War II and inspired by Harwood’s own experiences as a dresser for the distinguished British actor/manager Sir Donald Wolfit. The movie for television will be directed by Richard Eyre, and stars Anthony Hopkins (Noah, Thor, Silence of the Lambs) as “Sir” and Ian McKellen (The Hobbit franchise, X-Men franchise, Lord of the Rings franchise) as his dresser “Norman.” “The Dresser” represents the first time Hopkins and McKellen have worked together. It is executive produced by Colin Callender of Playground Entertainment, Sonia Friedman for Sonia Friedman Productions, Polly Hilly, BBC Head of Independent Drama and Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning. “The Dresser” was commissioned by Stephenson on behalf of BBC Drama and BBC Arts and will air on BBC Two in the UK and STARZ in the U.S.

Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz, said, “‘The Dresser’ is a timeless and poignant story about the relationship between artists, and to have this classic play brought to life on-screen by such acting giants as Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen is thrilling. We are glad to be working in partnership again with the BBC and Colin Callender on this very special project, and to be establishing a relationship with acclaimed theatre producer Sonia Friedman.”

HBO Orders 'Westworld' To Series

HBO has given a series order to one-hour drama Westworld, a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin. The show stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Miranda Otto, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Angela Sarafyan and Simon Quarterman.

Westworld is from Bad Robot Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions and Kilter Films in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Jonathan Nolan is executive producer, writer and director, while Lisa Joy will be an executive producer and writer. The other executive producers are J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub and Bryan Burk.

The series is inspired by the motion picture Westworld, written and directed by Michael Crichton.