Great Expectations, Steven Knight’s adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel, will premiere on Hulu this Marchas a miniseries. The series is greatly anticipated and expected to delight audiences internationally. From the stellar cast to the unique take on the book,Great Expectationswill show the world again that this timeless classic can make new fans a century and a half after it’s been published.Great Expectationswill take some of the most recognizable actors from your favorite series and drop them into Victorian England to tell what might be the Western world’s mostquintessential coming-of-age story.
Great Expectationsis one of Charles Dickens’s great masterpieces and has been avoided being read by students for ages, with one of the most popular SparkNotes pages out there. Regardless, it remains one of the most famous stories across Europe and the Americas.Great Expectationshas circulated through almost every school on both continents. Now, inthe hands of Steven Knight, the novel finds itself revived as a Hulu miniseries with some of the greatest actors of our day breathing new life into it.Great Expectationscontinues to be relevant as the story shows us the challenges we must overcome to unite the things that we want with the truth of our lives.
Great Expectations: The Plot
Great Expectationshas always been one of the most iconic stories in Western literature. And its plot has reverberated through other, more modern tales for decades. How many times have you seen an orphan overcome serious challenges to achieve their dreams? Harry Potter, Elsa fromFrozen, and even Superman were all orphans who became heroes.Great Expectationswasn’t the first coming-of-age story, but in a world of literature that often told tales of great knights and heroic kings, it was one of the first stories that focused on an average child, disenfranchised by circumstances he couldn’t control.Great Expectationswas one of the first popular stories that starred a poor child, someone we could relate to, who behaved morally and was rewarded for it.
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The story follows Pip, a young orphaned boy who lives with his sister and her husband. He is surrounded by the poverty of wealth and spirit in a world that seems not to care what becomes of him. Then, when visiting his parents' grave, an escaped convict threatens him and forces the boy to help him break free. Pip’s choice to free the man has great consequences later in his life; a demonstration of Dickens’ themes that even though someone might seem like a bad person, a choice to treat them well may be rewarded.
After this, we come to the meat of the story in which Pip finds himself journeying to Satis House, the mansion of the lonely Miss Havisham. Though the old widow introduces Pip to a life of hardship and pain, this is where the seeds of Pip’s eventual success are planted. He begins to learn the trade of blacksmithingand falls in lovewith Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter Estella. It leads to a very long will-they/won’t-they storyline.
Eventually, Pip learns to act like a gentleman, and he begins to raise his status in life. Though the rest of his life is plagued with hardship and pain, Pip does eventually make himself a wealthy man. He finds his kindness and hard work rewarded with wealth and adventure. He ends up going out to get a wealth of experience and returns home. But there’s always more work to do as Charles Dickens’ theme of hard work prevails throughout the novel.
Great Expectations: The Cast
Great Expectationsis filled with wonderful actors. The role of Pip will be divided between Tom Sweet (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), who will play the younger Pip, and Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk,Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), who will play the grown Pip. The iconic role of Miss Havisham will go to Olivia Colman (The Lobster), who has been rumored to havedelivered a powerful performancein quite a pronounced costume. Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) will play Mr. Pumblechuck. Johnny Harris, who previously starred in the 2012 version ofA Christmas Carol,will play Abel Magwitch. Shalom Brune-Franklin (Line of Duty,The Tourist) will play Estella.
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Some of the other notable roles will be filled by Owen McDonnel (Killing Eve) as Joe, Bronte Carmichael (Christopher Robin) as Young Biddy, Hayley Squires (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain) as Sara, Trystan Gravelle (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) as Compeyson, Ashley Thomas (Them) as Jaggers, Rudi Dharmalingham (In the Shadow of the Moon) as Wemmick, Djamel Turner (Take Care) as the Prisoner, and Gerard Clerk (The Adventures of Maid Marian) as Bowden.
Release Date
Great Expectationswill be released on FX on Hulu, BBCOne, and BBCiPlayer on March 26, according toVariety.
