Sir Michael Gambon has been set to portray Winston Churchill in an upcoming drama TV movie on ITV that will highlight his last years in office. Lindsay Duncan will play his wife, Clementine.
Based on "Churchill's Secret' by Jonathan Smith, "The Churchill Secret: KBO' will be set in the summer of 1953 when the prime minister suffered a mild stroke, which was not revealed in public.
"'Churchill's Secret' is the extraordinary and compelling story of how one of our country's most famous political figures battled back from life-threatening illness to hold on to power," Steve November, ITV director of drama, explained.
While this has been the most recent ITV drama to be announced in the past weeks, similar projects that are expected to air on the network include the eight-episode series that follows Queen Victoria's reign. The Peter Pan adaptation titled "Peter and Wendy', starring Stanley Tucci and Paloma Faith, are also in the works.
"Harry Potter' actor Gambon recently appeared in BBC's adaptation of J.K. Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy'.
He now becomes the latest actor to take on the role of Churchill on screen; the heroic wartime leader was also previously played by Robert Hardy, Timothy Spall, Bob Hoskins and Albert Finney, who was the most acclaimed in his portrayal of Churchill on BBC's "The Gathering Storm.' Brendan Gleeson stepped in to play the part in the sequel titled "Into the Storm.'
A two-hour movie, "Churchill's Secret' has also been set to air on PBS in the U.S. Shooting for the film begins next month in London as well as at the former prime minister's principal family home- Chartwell in Kent.
ITV announced the commission on Tuesday and explained how the movie will follow Churchill's untold stories.
The network released its official statement, saying: "Told from the viewpoint of his young nurse, Millie Appleyard, the drama follows his battle to recover as his long-suffering wife Clemmie desperately hopes the stroke will force Winston to retire while his political friends and foe scheme to plot who will succeed him."
Additionally, ITV also incorporates the story of his adult children who descend on Chartwell and are uncertain whether Churchill himself will come off strong amidst the trials. Consequently, personal and family struggles begin to arise.
"We're delighted to commission Churchill's Secret from Daybreak Pictures and to be working with Michael Gambon as Sir Winston Churchill and Lindsay Duncan as his wife Clemmie," ITV stated.
