The BBC miniseries adaptation of novel SS-GB released its debut trailer starring Sam Riley in an alternate history epic.
The trailer for the upcoming BBC One miniseries SS-GB will undoubtedly have fans of prestige television immediately evoking the topical specter of a certain Amazon hit that’s also a pathos-packed drama set against the backdrop of an alternate history in which Germany prevailed in World War II. However, while The Man in the High Castle– an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel of the same name – is set several years after the fact, focusing on the resistance, SS-GB‘s Nazi-ruled backdrop is contextual to an embattled police detective’s murder investigation.
Like its Amazon-adapted topical cousin, the BBC’s five-episode miniseries SS-GB is an adaptation of a classic novel, in this case, Len Deighton’s 1978 novel of the same name. However, unlike High Castle, this Nazi alternate history scenario is set shortly (nine months) after the fictional English WWII capitulation and the trailer showcases startling imagery of swastikas and SS flags hastily draped over notable bomb-damaged London landmarks such as the Palace of Westminster.
It’s a particularly tough deal for talented detective superintendent Douglas Archer, played by Sam Riley (Maleficent, Control). Archer’s sense of justice and loyalty to his country become conflicted when the occupational government call him in to investigate a murder with potentially political implications. Archer’s resolve is further tested when his involvement in the investigation brands him as a collaborator – even to his children. Moreover, his relationship with the enchanting Barbara Barga, played by Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, Blue Crush), further pulls apart Archer's sense of self. The cast also consists of Rainer Bock, Maeve Dermody, Jayson Flemyng, Lars Eidinger and Sam Kronis.
BBC One’s SS-GB works off an adaptation script of Deighton’s original novel by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the perennial screenwriting duo of the modern James Bond film franchise, whose tenure started on 1999’s The World is Not Enough, with 2015’s Spectre being the most recent. Indeed, their proclivity for concocting slick, sexy action sequences still seems to translate on the small screen in this Nazi-dominated drama that, at its core, is a murder mystery.
SS-GB will premiere on BBC One for a date not-yet-specified in 2017.