This morning, Paramount+ has announced the casting for upcoming original series The Doll Factory. The six-part series is produced by Buccaneer and apart from the Sunday Times bestselling novel of the same name by author Elizabeth Macneal.
Leading the cast is Esmé Creed-Miles (Hanna) as Iris, who dreams of becoming an artist, and by night, secretly paints herself. Éanna Hardwicke (Normal People) is Silas, a taxidermist who owns a shop filled with his creations, Mirren Mack (The Witcher: Blood Origin) is Rose, Iris’s twin sister who works alongside her in the doll shop and George Webster (Wedding Season) is Louis, a painter and member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Joining the ensemble cast are Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard), Sharlene Whyte (Stephen), newcomer Reece Kenwyne-Mpudzi, Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone), Saoirse Monica Jackson (Derry Girls), Laurie Kynaston (The Sandman), Jim Caesar (The Witcher), Akshay Khanna (Chloe), Aysha Kala (The Undeclared War) and Nell Hudson (Outlander).
Set in London, 1850, The Doll Factory tells the story of Iris, who paints dolls for a living alongside her twin sister, Rose. Silas is a taxidermist who dreams of one day finding an item so unique he will be catapulted to fame. Louis is a painter searching for his next muse. When Iris meets Silas, and then Louis, she is offered an opportunity to escape and start a new life. To do so, she must abandon her sister, sacrifice her reputation, and launch herself into the unknown. But as Iris’ world expands, a story of dark obsession begins to unfold…
The Doll Factory was a #1 bestseller in The Times and #2 bestseller in The Sunday Times in hardback and praised by The Sunday Times as ‘a remarkable example of historical fiction’. It has been translated into 30 languages. The novel’s author, Elizabeth Macneal is also Executive Producer on the series.
“We are so excited about the group of people we’ve brought together for this show. Charley and Sacha are an incredible team, and we couldn’t wish for a more talented cast to be bringing to life the characters we love so much. A huge thanks to Paramount+ who we are delighted to be working with again, and to our partners at Cineflix, SBS and TVNZ. Finally, thank you to Elizabeth Macneal, who has been a dream collaborator from the very start” said Anna Burns, Executive Producer at Buccaneer.
Filming is currently underway on location in and around Dublin, Ireland and will continue through to 2023.
