War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)


War of the Worlds is a television series produced by Fox Networks Group and StudioCanal-backed Urban Myth Films. The series is written by Howard Overman, and directed by Gilles Coulier and Richard Clark. The series is a loose adaptation of the H.G. Wells 1898 novel of the same name, and is the third television adaptation of the Wells Martian invasion novel. War of the Worlds consists of eight episodes, and first premiered in France on October 28, 2019. In October 2019, the creative team began work on a second season.

Premise

The series takes place in present-day Europe, but it serves as a re-imagining of the classic H.G. Wells' novel.

Cast

Main

The below actors are credited in the opening titles of only one or two episodes in which they play a significant role.

Series 1

Production

Development

War of the Worlds is produced by Fox Networks Group and StudioCanal. AGC Television co-finances and co-distributes the series.
Gilles Coulier and Richard Clark each directed four episodes of the series, with Coulier directing the first four episode and Clark directing the last four. The series was written by Howard Overman. The series is executive produced by Overman, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. By October 2019, the creative team had begun work on a second season.

Casting

and Elizabeth McGovern star in the series, and they are joined by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Stéphane Caillard, Adel Bencherif, Guillaume Gouix, Léa Drucker and Natasha Little. Greg Kinnear was originally set to star, but was not listed in the starring cast list when it was revealed by Deadline Hollywood in January 2019.

Filming

Production for series 1 took place in the United Kingdom, France and Belgium. The series was filmed in Bristol in March 2019, as well as filming in Cardiff, Newport and London.
Series 2 began filming on July 13, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new measures had to be taken on set for cast and crew safety, which Clark documented.

Release

The series was released in full on MyCanal in France on October 28, 2019, before being broadcast from October 28 in weekly batches of two episodes, and was released in most parts of Europe and Africa weekly between October 30 and December 18, 2019. On November 21, 2019, it was announced that the series is set to premiere in the United States on February 16, 2020 on Epix. The series is scheduled to be broadcast in the UK on March 5, 2020.
Canal+ and Fox Networks Group have the rights to release the series in Europe and Africa. AGC Television distribute the series to the North American market, and co-distribute with StudioCanal to Latin America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. Fox Networks Group release the series in Europe. The series broadcasts on Fox in more than 50 countries.