"Exciting" New Britbox Drama Starts Filming On Isle Of Wight

A brand new revenge thriller, featuring BAFTA winner Jared Harris, has begun production on the Isle of Wight.

The Beast Must Die is the first drama to shoot for BritBox UK and is being filmed on - and around - the Island for 11 weeks. 

The exact location of shoots have yet to be revealed, although filming has reportedly already taken place at some of the Island's beaches, including at Norton Spit.

Residents of Love Lane in Bembridge have also received letters. Cameras are expected to start rolling at East Cliff tomorrow (4).

The original British five-part revenge thriller is being produced by New Regency Television International and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free. 

It is an adaption of the 1938 novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, based off the poem written by Cecil Day-Lewis, father of Daniel Day-Lewis.

The Beast Must Die tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son.

Among those starring in the drama is BAFTA winner and Golden Globe & Emmy nominated Jared Harris (Chernobyl, The Crown, Mad Men), Cush Jumbo OBE (The Good Wife, Deadwater Fell), Billy Howle (MotherFatherSon, Witness For The Prosecution, On Chesil Beach) and Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Vanity Fair).

Geraldine James (Back to Life, Anne with an E, Utopia), Maeve Dermody (Carnival Row, Marcella, The Frankenstein Chronicles) and newcomers Mia Tomlinson and Barney Sayburn have also joined the cast.

Director Dome Karukoski (Tolkien, Tom of Finland), Screenwriter Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest, Shetland, Vera) and the production team used the national lockdown to refine the scripts and narrative, and the start of production now signals a new way of working for the team.

Director Dome Karukoski said:

“Gaby tricked me. I never anticipated to get so engaged with this evocative vendetta from a grieving mother, but that happened – and suddenly The Beast Must Die became an obsession for me. Pain and loss cause anger and the need to find revenge; to find a target. I find the story intriguing as to whether the beast is the person we want to take revenge upon or if the beast is within us - one who wants to replace grief with hate”.

“The production has given us the tools to portray this story safely and with great respect during these troubling times. I can’t wait to be back at work and do what directors love the most. Seeing actors like Cush, Jared, Billy and the iconic Geraldine James bring their heart and soul into these characters.”

Gaby Chiappe said:

“What captured me when I read the novel was the combination of a thriller pulse and complex, nuanced characters; heightened action driven by truthful emotion. It’s what I hope I have managed to capture and translate to the screen more than eighty years after the book was first published.

"After so long spent in the company of the characters they are very real to me so it’s been hugely exciting to work with Dome and the production team and more recently with some of the actors to try and dig even deeper. I think the passion that has gone into developing this project through very difficult times, and the passion that is now going into shooting it in such challenging conditions, will make it something very special indeed.”

The Beast Must Die will be available exclusively on BritBox UK in 2021.