Masterpiece has nabbed two programs for the 2025 and 2026 season — The Great Escaper featuring Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson in their final acting roles, and The Count of Monte Cristo starring Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons.
The Great Escaper, which will premiere this fall in the U.S., tells the true story of Bernard Jordan (Caine) who made global headlines in the summer of 2014 after staging a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy to commemorate D-Day’s 70th anniversary.
Bernie’s adventure that spanned a mere 48 hours also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Jackson). The Great Escaper celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation.
From Pathé and BBC Films, The Great Escaper is an Ecosse Film production made in co-production with Film I Väst and Filmgate Films.
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Set to premiere next year, The Count of Monte Cristo is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ adventure novel. In the series directed by Oscar-winner Bille August, Claflin (Daisy Jones and the Six) stars as Edmond Dantes, a nineteen-year-old sailor who was falsely accused of treason and is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress off Marseille, France.
After many years of captivity he finally escapes and discovers treasure, making him one of the richest men in the world. Under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, he plans to take revenge on those who wrongly accused him. Ana Girardot (The Returned) and Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) also star.
The Count of Monte Cristo is produced by Palomar and DEMD Productions, two Mediawan companies, and distributed worldwide by MediawanRights in cooperation with CAA (for North America) and with the participation of Entourage Ventures.