Brits Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones, Pistol, The Queen’s Gambit) and David Thewlis (Landscapers, Fargo) lead the cast of Disney+’s eight-part series The Artful Dodger alongside Maia Mitchell, with production now underway in NSW.
Brodie-Sangster will play the titular role – Jack Dawkins, aka The Artful Dodger – while Thewlis is Fagin and Mitchell as Lady Belle Fox.
The trio are joined by a bumper ensemble of local talent in Damon Herriman, Miranda Tapsell, Tim Minchin, Susie Porter, Kym Gyngell, Damien Garvey, Jessica De Gouw, Andrea Demetriades, Luke Carroll, Huw Higginson, Lucy-Rose Leonard, Nicholas Burton, Jude Hyland, Finn Treacy and Albert Latailakepa.
The Artful Dodger is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television, produced by Beach Road Pictures and SPT’s Curio Pictures. It was first first announced by Disney+ in May alongside eight other Australian originals.
Set in 1850s Australia, the series picks up 15 years after the events of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist. It explores the adult double life of Charles Dickens’ famous prince of thieves – Dodger – now a surgeon, but who can’t shake his predilection for crime.
Beach Road EPs David Maher and David Taylor are the co-creators of the series with writer James McNamara, who is also a co-executive producer. Jo Porter is the EP for Curio.
McNamara wrote the scripts alongside Andrew Knight, Vivienne Walshe and Dan Knight, with Tapsell.
Jeffrey Walker serves as set up director and co-executive producer, with other directors Corrie Chen and Gracie Otto. Ross Allsop is the producer.
Screen NSW has provided financial support via the Made in NSW Fund.