ITV has ordered six-part period crime drama “The Frankenstein Chronicles” to be produced by Rainmark Films, reports Deadline.
Billed as a thrilling and terrifying re-imagining of the Frankenstein myth, the series will star Sean Bean, pictured, as Inspector John Marlott.
“Set in 1827 London, the drama begins when Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel recruits Marlott after a successful operation by Thames River Police to apprehend a gang of opium smugglers. As Marlott stands on the water’s edge contemplating the arrests, he makes a shocking discovery: A corpse washed up on the shore is not what it seems at first glance. Instead, it’s a crude assembly of body parts arranged in a grotesque parody of a human form. The mutilated child-like body leaves an indelible impression on Marlott who is tasked by Peel with tracking the perpetrator of this heinous crime. As he investigates, Marlott discovers that what he’s dealing with is more horrific than he could possibly have imagined.”
Blending the investigation and horror genres, it hails from Emmy-nominated director and writer Benjamin Ross (RKO 281, The Young Poisoner’s Handbook) and writer Barry Langford (Torte Bluma). It has been commissioned for air on ITV’s subscription channel ITV Encore, the first original drama for the pay outlet since it launched earlier this year. Shooting starts in Northern Ireland in January.
“Marlott’s investigation takes him into the dark corners of Regency London,” says Ross. “He discovers an underworld of prostitution, drug smuggling, bodysnatching, and murder for profit. The rational evidence points first one way, and then another as he contemplates a frightening alternate scenario.”