By Flora Carr

Published: Friday, 08 April 2022 at 12:00 am


Tom Hiddleston has found his next project in the form of Apple TV Plus series The White Darkness, which he’ll star in and executive produce.

The Loki actor – who also stars in the upcoming adaptation of The Essex Serpent for the same streamer – will play the central role of real-life adventurer Henry Worsley in the newly-announced series.

Adapted from David Grann’s non-fiction bestseller, The White Darkness will tell the true story of British polar explorer Worsley, who journeyed to Antarctica in the footsteps Ernest Shackleton.

Apple TV Plus describe Worsley as a “devoted husband and father, a former soldier, a man of deep honor and sacrifice, but also a man deeply obsessed with adventure”, which results in an “epic journey crossing Antarctica on foot”, according to the official synopsis.

It continues: “This is a spellbinding story of courage, love, family and the extremes of human capacity.”

In The Essex Serpent, Hiddleston plays Will Ransom, a Victorian-era community leader who meets the intelligent, newly-widowed Cora (Homeland’s Claire Danes), the show’s protagonist.

In the series, Cora arrives at the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, ready for a fresh start after her husband’s death released her from an abusive marriage.

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Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston in The Essex Serpent
Apple TV+

However, she soon becomes obsessed with the local rumours about a mythical creator, called the Essex Serpent, and which has supposedly returned to the area.

Other cast members included Cleménce Poésy (Tenet) – who’ll play Stella Ransom, wife of Will –Frank Dillane (Fear the Walking Dead), Hayley Squires (Adult Material) and Jamael Westman (Anne Boleyn).

The Essex Serpent will be available to stream on Apple TV Plus in May. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide and Drama hub.

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