The Netflix film is “inspired” by the well-known 2019 Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew.
Netflix have now unveiled the first look at the cast of the Scoop, with uncanny resemblances aplenty between the real-life counterparts and the actors that are set to play them.
The cast of the new Netflix film is positively star-studded and includes the likes of Rufus Sewell, Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper and Keeley Hawes.
The film will be “the insider account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC,” going behind the scenes of the now infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew.
Sewell, who is known for his roles in The Diplomat and The Man in the High Castle, stars as Prince Andrew, while Anderson plays journalist and former newsreader Emily Maitlis.
Your first look at Scoop. A new film inspired by Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview. Starring Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell. pic.twitter.com/e5zX8mdDnd
— Netflix (@netflix) February 5, 2024
Not to be confused with the Hindi-language Netflix series of the same name, the film is set to tell the bold story of Maitlis and Newsnight guest booker Sam McAlister (played by Billie Piper), who stopped at nothing to secure the noteworthy interview.
With that, read on for everything you need to know about Scoop.
When is the Scoop release date on Netflix?
Netflix have not confirmed a release date for Scoop just yet but with first-look images of the film having now been released, we can likely expect an announcement sometime soon.
According to The Telegraph, Scoop will be coming to Netflix in spring 2024.
Casting for the film was announced back in 2023, with the adaptation based on the memoir of Newsnight guest booker Sam McAlister.
Speaking on the announcement of the adaptation, McAlister said admitted that the project was “beyond [her] wildest dreams” as a first time writer to be working with the “extraordinary cast”, and that being portrayed by Billie Piper is a “pinch myself moment”.
Scoop cast
The cast for Scoop is led by Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis, the Newsnight presenter who conducted the notable 2019 interview, while Rufus Sewell stars as Prince Andrew.
In preparation for the roles, according to The Telegraph, Sewell spent three hours a day in the make-up chair to resemble Prince Andrew and Anderson is said to have studied the interview in question, while also watching episodes of Newsnight to capture Maitlis’s mannerisms.
Aside from the two in front of the interview camera, the film will also focus on the behind-the-scenes process of having the Duke of York on the programme, having been secured by Newsnight guest booker Sam McAlister.
Speaking about Anderson’s transformation as Maitlis on set for the film, McAlister told The Telegraph: “It felt like being there with Emily. Everything about her physicality and her performance is on the money. They have a similar intellect as well.
“Emily is very methodical. She worked very hard on every interview; she trains, she studies. And my impression of Gillian was exactly the same. She was studying the material, she was studying Emily, and she was working on that project in an intellectual way as well as a dramatic way.”
The rest of the cast includes Keeley Hawes (Stonehouse) as Prince Andrew’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk, while Sex Education‘s Connor Swindells will star as Jae Donnelly, the photographer who captured the image of Prince Andrew and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein walking in Central Park.
Vigil‘s Romola Garai will also star as Newsnight editor at the time of the interview, Esme Wren.
The full cast list for Scoop is as follows:
- Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis
- Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew
- Billie Piper as Sam McAlister
- Keeley Hawes as Amanda Thirsk
- Connor Swindells as Jae Donnelly
- Romola Garai as Esme Wren
- Charity Wakefield as Princess Beatrice
- Lia Williams as Fran Unsworth
- Theresa Godly as BBC US News Reporter
What will Scoop be about?
Based on McAlister’s memoir Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews, the film will give us a look into the Newsnight interview like we haven’t seen before.
According to the synopsis: “Inspired by real events, Scoop is the inside account of the tenacious journalism that landed an earth-shattering interview – Prince Andrew’s infamous BBC Newsnight appearance.
“From the tension of producer Sam McAlister’s high stakes negotiations with Buckingham Palace, all the way to Emily Maitlis’s jaw dropping, forensic showdown with the Prince, Scoop takes us inside the story, with the women who would stop at nothing to get it. To get an interview this big, you have to be bold.”
The interview in question saw the Duke speak candidly about his friendship with sex offender Epstein, also stating that he had “no recollection” of meeting Virginia Giuffre, who accused the Duke of sexual assault on three occasions.
The Duke has denied all of Giuffre’s allegations and insisted in the Newsnight interview that he “cannot sweat”, contrary to claims made by Giuffre and a segment of the interview that garnered media attention worldwide.
The pair reached a settlement out of court in February 2022, reportedly amounting to several millions of dollars.
Is there a trailer for Scoop?
Not yet! There are a slew of newly released first-look images that are dotted throughout this article, though.
We’ll be sure to update this article with a trailer as and when one gets released.
Scoop will be coming to Netflix soon. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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