Many are mourning the end of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season, and while it may be a while until we see Jon Snow back on our screens, Kit Harington will appear in an alternate form on the BBC’s Gunpowder. Harington is swapping the cape for a wide-brimmed hat to star in the three part drama alongside Liv Tyler (The Lord of the Rings, Armageddon) in the drama detailing the 17th century plot to blow up the House of Lords.
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 has become synonymous with Guy Fawkes, and the foiling of the plan celebrated without fail on November 5 each year. The assassination attempt against King James I, in aim to rstore a Catholic monarch, however, was actually spearheaded by English Catholic Robert Catesby; it was rather Fawkes’ getting caught that cemented his name in British history.
Gunpowder aims to bring this to light, showing how Catesby (played by Harington, who is reportedly a direct descendant) masterminded the plan with his cousin Anne Vaux (Tyler). Guy Fawkes is played by Tom Cullen (Downtown Abbey) in a cast that also includes Peter Mullan, Edward Holcroft, Shaun Dooley, Robert Emms, Derek Riddell and Mark Gatiss.
BBC One released the trailer on their Facebook page, conveniently captioned “Autumn is coming” in natural Game of Thrones fashion. Harington narrates the scene as the camera follows into a cellar, seemingly occupied only by the 6ft 1in Cullen (Fawkes) until the camera pans around to reveal teeny-tiny-apparently-5ft-8in Harington (Catesby) behind him.
Already defeated in life, Catesby vows to “strike at the root” and “blow the King and all his men to Hell” in the plot. Already, the writing seems a John Milton/Shakespeare crossover. A true BBC drama. Ronan Bennett (Public Enemies) is responsible for the script which is directed by J. Blakeson (The 5th Wave).
The three-parter will debut this autumn with a primte-time Saturday timeslot. A specific date is yet to be announced.
#Peace.Love.Gunpowder
