Though he's been dead for over a century, Charles Dickens' work still provides inspiration for contemporary storytelling. In the latest adaptation, a six-part Great Expectations series, Oscar winner Olivia Colman plays an eerie Miss Havisham.
The novel originally released in 1861, has been adapted many times for stage and screen, including movies in 1974, 1998 and 2012.
Colman stars as the eccentric older woman who takes an orphan named Pip under her wing for dubious purposes. In the coming-of-age tale, Pip (Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard) must learn to navigate the adult world while facing various challenges and falling in love with Estella (played by Australian actress Shalom Brune-Franklin).
One of the things that makes this adaption unique is the color-blind casting, including Brune-Franklin as Estella and Ashley Thomas as Jaggers.
The new series was written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, who is an executive producer in a star-studded group, including Tom Hardy and Ridley Scott. FX partnered with the BBC on the series.In the trailer, a pale and eerie-looking Colman as Havisham is shown in her vast home.
"When I was young, I was blinded by love," she says. The trailer moves on to Pip as a boy and then a man falling in love with Estella. The characters strive to remain connected despite the obstacles they encounter.
