Carolyn Bernstein, the executive VP of scripted TV
programming at Shine America has spoken to World Screen about the company’s vision
for their new drama output. She discussed Gracepoint
which has been adapted from the award winning UK crime drama Broadchurch; the ten part series sees
David Tennant in the role of Detective Emmett Carver, based on his character of
DI Alec Hardy in the original.
“After the huge success of Broadchurch’s launch on ITV in the UK, we had many conversations
with Kudos’ Jane Featherstone and series creator Chris Chibnall about how we
might work together with them to bring Broadchurch into
the US,” Bernstein explains. “It was very important to all of us that the
essence of the original series be preserved. Similar to our process on The Bridge, we worked together to find a
US buyer and showrunners who deeply connected with the original series but
would also be open to nuanced changes that reflect our US culture, landscape
and sensibility. We believe it’s a perfect fit for the US market because it
explores such universal, human themes in a relatable small-town setting.”
On the strong ensemble cast she added, “We have ended up
with a dream cast, but we definitely had a few distinct advantages going into
the process: the brilliant David Tennant, who starred in Broadchurch, was our first big casting
announcement and that helped set the bar very high; then we cast Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn and it just
snowballed from there with Jacki Weaver, Nick Nolte and Michael Peña signing on
in quick succession. I think our Gracepoint scripts
were very strong and, of course, actors could watch the original Broadchurch and understand the
origins of Gracepoint and
how strong the source material was.”
Gracepoint is
currently in production on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The series is
due to air as part of Fox’s 2014-15 season.
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