Casting News: Lesley Manville to Star in TV Adaptation of Anthony Horowitz's 'Magpie Murders'

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Lesley Manville is to star in a TV adaptation of Anthony Horowitz's bestselling crime novel Magpie Murders.

The Oscar-nominated Phantom Thread actress will star as Susan Ryeland, an editor who receives an unfinished novel by hard-to-please author Alan Conway. When she visits Conway's house to retrieve the final chapters, she discovers a real-life mystery which seems to have informed events in the novel.

"Fans of Anthony Horowitz’s highly acclaimed, thrilling novel will be utterly delighted that it is being made into a six-part drama. I could not be happier to be playing Susan Ryeland — what a fabulous character for me to grapple with," Manville said in a press release received by The Hollywood Reporter.

The six-part adaptation for Britbox UK and PBS Masterpiece in the U.S. will be directed by The Full Monty's Peter Cattaneo. "Anthony has adapted his novel into wonderfully witty and richly layered scripts. Two cleverly intertwined stories and a host of fascinating characters led by Lesley Manville make this an irresistible opportunity for a director," Cattaneo added.

The casting adds to a cracking start to the year for Manville, who was appointed CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in Queen Elizabeth II's New Year Honours List. She is also due to play Princess Margaret in the final two seasons of The Crown.

Asked how her Oscar-nominated role opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in 2017's Phantom Thread had affected her career, Manville told Anglophenia last year: "I think it's just opened up America to me, really. The garden was always very rosy and continues to be rosy in the U.K. anyway, but it's opened up a whole new area to me."

Are you looking froward to seeing Lesley Manville in Magpie Murders?