Scottish actor David Tennant has landed a role in the American version of the British drama Broadchurch for Fox.
Tennant, who is best known for playing “The Doctor” in Doctor Who , will reprise his role from the UK version, portraying Detective Inspector Alec Harding.
The series was a big success for the British network ITV and garnered over 10 million viewers during the season finale, as well as receiving praise from critics and breaking Twitter records.
Broadchurch is about the investigation into the murder of a young boy in a small beach side town in England, the chase for the suspects, and how the event affects the community as a whole.
Tennant’s performance as a sad, sick, divorcee has earned him excellent reviews.
Fox will remake the show as a limited series consisting of eight episodes in the 2014-2015 season.
A title for the American version of Broadchurch has not been announced. Tennant will play an American lead detective investigating a shocking crime in small town America.
The first episode is being written by original creator Chris Chibnall, with Dan Futterman and Anya Epstein as executive producers and showrunners. Production is set to begin in January.
According to EW , the UK is planning to extend the show into a second season, but it is not clear if David Tennant or his co-star Olivia Colman will be returning to reprise their roles.
In an interview with the website last month, Chibnall said Fox is giving him the opportunity to do something very good, even better than the British version.
“I’m very, very fascinated to see this story in a different landscape with an acting ensemble that’s just as strong but taken from really great American actors,” he said. “The DNA of the original is absolutely intact and filtered through a new prism, so it should still feel just as vibrant, and interesting, and strange, and unique, and beautiful, but just in a different setting — and then it’s exploring the dramatic opportunities that that offers up. We’re not gonna do the terrible version. We’re gonna do a great version.”
David Tennant is an award winning television, screen, and theater actor in England. He has also done radio and audio drama recordings for several years.
[Image via Rach/Wikipedia]