Entertainment
Kenneth Branagh transforms into Boris Johnson for new pandemic drama and it’s kind of terrifying
We have had some freakily accurate TV transformations in the past year, from Michael Sheen playing Chris Tarrant to Brendan Gleeson taking on Donald Trump.
And it’s time to add Sir Kenneth Branagh playing Boris Johnson to that hall of fame.
The first picture of Branagh playing the Prime Minister has been released, and we are seeing double.
The 60-year-old actor stars in the upcoming Sky Original drama This Sceptred Isle, which is set to air next year.
Sky TV tweeted the first look at Branagh’s transformation and wrote: ‘No, you’re not seeing things. That’s Kenneth Branagh as U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the first day of filming This Sceptred Isle.
‘This Sky Original drama will be coming to your TVs in Autumn 2022…’
The teaser has had mixed reaction, with many stunned by how little Branagh looks like… well, Kenneth Branagh.
One person tweeted: ‘I mean props to the make up department I cannot pull Branagh out of those prosthetics…’, while another called it an ‘incredible transformation’.
However, others referred to the image as ‘nightmare fuel’, and questioned why the show was being made at all.
The project was confirmed last month, and the five-part drama will chart the events surrounding the Prime Minister and the government’s management of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
This Sceptred Isle will trace the impact on Britain from the pandemic, and the response of scientists, nurses, and doctors as they worked to contain and overcome the virus, and is based on the first-hand testimonies of people working in the Department of Health, Number 10 Downing Street, and in hospitals and care homes throughout the UK during the pandemic.
Michael Winterbottom will direct the series and has co-written the five episodes with Kieron Quirke.
He said: ‘The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic will be remembered forever. A time when the country came together to battle an invisible enemy. A time when people were more aware than ever of the importance of community.
‘Our series weaves together countless true stories – from Boris Johnson in Number 10 to front line workers around the country – chronicling the efforts of scientists, doctors, care home workers and policy makers to protect us from the virus.’
Sky UK Managing Director of Content, Zai Bennett, added: ‘Covid-19 has presented once-in-a-generation challenges to the world, and in the UK the resilience and fortitude of the public over the past year has been nothing short of extraordinary. Portraying NHS staff and key workers on the frontlines of the extraordinary fight, to those in government facing unprecedented challenges; Michael Winterbottom has a clear and compelling vision in telling this remarkable story.
‘The incredible creative talent Fremantle have assembled including the central performance from Kenneth Branagh will make This Sceptred Isle a drama we are proud to be part of telling.’
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