A movie—Scoop—based on the Duke of York's disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview is in the works, and Hugh Grant is rumoured to be in the running to play Prince Andrew’s character. Scoop will be a movie that will tell the tale of how the BBC got the shocking interview with Prince Andrew about his acquaintance with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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Camera and action
The Newsnight interview was conducted by Emily Maitlis and broadcast in November 2019. The Lighthouse Film & Television—a production company founded two years ago by Hilary Salmon– along with Radford Neville, Nick Betts and British Independent Voltage TV are working on it. According to The Guardian, celebrated screenwriter Peter Moffat is working on the Scoop script. He has previously worked on the Bryan Cranston series Your Honor and the 2004 film Hawking.
Moffat and Salmon have both confirmed the news today declaring that the production will get started immediately. The goal is to commence the filming of the project in November. Although pitches have been submitted to a few chosen agents, neither a director nor casting have officially started. As such, Hugh Grant remains on a wish list but ‘no one is attached.’
The backdrop
The bombshell interview was widely regarded as a great victory for the programme and an imprudent move by Prince Andrew.
In the interview, he denied any impropriety associated with his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, Maitlis investigated the connection between the prince and the convicted felon as well as his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
In the interview, the Prince expressed regret about his long friendship with Epstein but admitted that it resulted in connections that were 'actually very useful.' Moffat confirmed that the movie Scoop will focus more on how BBC got the scoop than the actual filming of it. Apart from showing how secretive the project was for the BBC. He added:
The other thing is, why did he agree to do it?
How was it that he decided it was a good idea to do a great big long interview with Emily Maitlis on the BBC?
Deadlinereports that the news of the movie will be devastating to the Queen, and the rest of the Royal Family, who has had a hard time moving away from the scandal. They have not yet commented on the news.
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