David Tenant’s upcoming series “Around the World in 80 Days” hasn’t yet hit screens but producers are so confident in the show they’ve already greenlit a second season, with Ashley Pharoah (“Life on Mars”) returning as showrunner.
VarietyTenant seems almost certain to reprise his role in season 2 as Phileas fogg, an adventurer. He stars alongside Ibrahim Koma (“As Far as I Can Walk”) as Passepartout and Leonie Benesch (“The Swarm”) as Abigail.
Federation Entertainment and Slim Film + Television confirmed that the series would return for a second season. They also revealed a Jules Verne adaptation. “Journey to the Centre of the Earth,”Pharoah is also aboard as showrunner.
“Journey to the Centre of the Earth” tells the story of geology professor Professor Lidenbrock who mounts an expedition to the earth’s core in a bid to unlock the secrets of humanity and its future. Casting is still not known.
Simon Crawford Collins will produce both series on Slim Film + Television and Lionel Uzan on Federation.
“We have loved working on the sequel to ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ and now we are excited to also bring Ashley’s trademark blend of humour and emotion to ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth,’” said Crawford Collins in a statement. “Ashley has developed an ensemble of exciting new and updated characters to bring a fresh and modern take to another of Jules Verne’s beloved novels.”
Uzan added: “We couldn’t be more excited to embark on this thrilling new adventure with Slim and keep exploring Jules Verne’s deeply compelling and trailblazing legacy together. Working hand-in-hand on ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ has been an inspiring experience for us all, and fresh-off this first globe-trotting odyssey together, it only seemed natural that our next journey would bring us to the innermost depths of our planet and its many secrets through this ever-more relevant story.”
The first season “Around the World in 80 Days”It will air on Masterpiece PBS in America and BBC in the United Kingdom. It will also air on France Télévisions, ZDF, RAI (the European Alliance) and RTBF.