Tom Hiddleston is hoping to pick up some Emmy momentum for his turn as the titular character on “Loki,” but the actor already has his next big television project in the can.
“The Essex Serpent,” a six-episode period fantasy series based on Sarah Perry’s New York Times-bestselling novel of the same name, stars Hiddleston as a small-town priest in Victorian England who teams up with a grieving widow to investigate the existence of a mythical serpent. Claire Danes co-stars as the widow, Cora Seaborne, in the genre-bending period piece that promises to continue Apple’s recent hot streak of buzzy television shows. The show is set to premiere on Apple TV+ next month, but the tech giant has released the first trailer for the limited series today.
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“The Essex Serpent” marks Claire Danes’ first major television role since “Homeland” wrapped its eight-season run on Showtime in 2020. She plays the role previously set to go to Keira Knightley, who had to exit the project due to a scheduling conflict last year.
Apple’s official synopsis of “The Essex Serpent” reads: “Set in Victorian England featuring a star studded cast led by Danes, Tom Hiddleston, Frank Dillane, Clémence Poésy and Hayley Squires, ‘The Essex Serpent’ follows London widow Cora Seaborne (Danes) who moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent. She forms a surprising bond of science and skepticism with the local pastor (Hiddleston), but when tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature.”
“The Essex Serpent” was written by Anna Symon, from Perry’s book. Clio Barnard, the auteur behind “The Arbor” and “The Selfish Giant,” directed all six episodes. Barnard and Symon, both previous BAFTA nominees, also serve as executive producers alongside Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Patrick Walters. In addition to Hiddleston and Danes, the cast includes Frank Dillane, Clémence Poésy, Michael Jibson, Lily-Rose Aslandogdu, Jamael Westman, Ryan Reffell, and Hayley Squires.
The first two episodes of “The Essex Serpent” will premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 13, with new episodes being released weekly after that. You can watch the trailer for the limited series below:
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