A Magical Swashbuckling Adventure Starring a Derry Girl? Sign Us Up!
If you’re looking for a new fantasy adventure series, look no further. Sally Wainwright, acclaimed and award-winning writer of shows like Scott & Bailey, Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, and Gentleman Jack, is bringing us Renegade Nell.
Starring everyone’s favorite unique Derry Girl, Louisa Harland, Renegade Nell—originally titled The Ballad of Renegade Nell—follows Nell Jackson, a brave and quick-witted young woman who unexpectedly finds herself framed for murder. In the aftermath, Nell becomes the most infamous outlaw in 18th-century England—more specifically, during Queen Anne’s reign—and she is forced to go on the run.
Soon, however, she realizes that her destiny is much bigger, especially once she meets Nick Mohammed’s (Ted Lasso) magical spirit, Billy Blind. The series revolves around Nell’s rivalry with her arch-nemesis, the Earl of Poynton (Trigger Point’s Adrian Lester), who is described as a “master manipulator.”
Joining Harland, Mohammed, and Lester in the series are Alice Kremelberg (The Sinner), who will portray Sofia Wilmot, a widow who joins the Earl in a bid to find independence, Frank Dillane (The Essex Serpent), who has been cast as rogueish charmer Charles Devereux, and Joely Richardson (The Sandman), who will portray Lady Eularia Moggerhanger, an outlandish newspaper tycoon.
Renegade Nell will also feature the screen debut of two newcomers—Bo Bragason and Florence Keen have been cast as Nell’s younger sisters. Craig Parkinson of Line of Duty fame will portray their patient, kind-hearted father, and Ényì Okoronkwo will portray a character known as Rasselas.
Glorious period outfits, a great cast, and a fun, thrilling premise? What’s not to love?
Anything Sally Wainwright touches turns out to be TV gold, so we have no doubt she’ll knock it out of the park with this one, too. Happy Valley’s third and final season was one of the U.K.’s biggest dramas of 2023 and cemented Wainwright as one of the all-time greatest British TV creatives.
Renegade Nell premieres exclusively on Disney+ on March 29, 2024. All eight episodes will drop at once, so get ready for a proper fantastical binge! You can watch the official fast-paced trailer below.
(featured image: Disney+)
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