Sky released an initial image of Kenneth Branagh as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his upcoming series Michael Winterbottom This Island with Scepter.
Filming of the five-part series has already begun. The project debuted in the fall of 2022. The project appeared last year as part of an agreement between The trip director Winterbottom and Fremantle’s Passenger, directed by Real detective producer Richard Brown.
Produced by Fremantle, Passenger and Winterbottom’s Revolution Films, the series will map events around the UK’s prime minister, government and country in the face of the first wave of the global coronavirus pandemic.
It will track the impact on Britain and the response of scientists, nurses and doctors as they worked to contain and overcome the virus. It is based on the first-hand testimony of people, including those at 10 Downing Street, the Department of Health, the Emergency Scientific Advisory Group (SAGE) and hospitals and homes across the country.
Winterbottom co-wrote the series with Kieron Quirke and will direct all five episodes. He will also be an executive producer alongside Brown. Melissa Parmenter (Revolution Films) will produce alongside Josh Hyams and Anthony Wilcox. Tim Shipman, political editor for The Sunday Times, is acting as a consultant.