Cary Grant Jason Isaacs Archie biopic

Jason Isaacs to Play Cary Grant in “Archie”

Classic film fans, take note: ITV and BritBox are partnering to produce a four-part drama, Archie, based on the life of Hollywood leading man, Cary Grant. The series will star Jason Isaacs (MassThe Death of Stalin) in the lead role with a script penned by BAFTA award-winning scribe Jeff Pope (A Confession, Philomena).

Archie has the blessing of the actor’s family and will feature both Grant’s daughter Jennifer and his ex-wife Dyan Cannon as Executive Producers. “My father was an extremely private man, so naturally, when Jeff Pope approached me with the idea to write Dad’s life story, I was trepidatious at best,” Grant explained. “Jeff’s thoughtfully intelligent understanding of Dad’s boyhood won me over.”

Born Archibald Alexander Leach in Bristol, England at the onset of the 20th century, Grant’s childhood was plagued by family tragedy and extreme poverty. Pope’s script will specifically focus on how one particular, overpowering lie shaped the actor’s entire life and how he overcame those enormous early challenges to create the suave, charming and successful film star audiences know and still love today.

The drama will intercut those flashes into Grant’s past with scenes from 1961, a time when Grant still topped the Tinseltown A list but found himself increasingly unhappy in his private life. With three failed marriages behind him, he was determined to create a successful family unit and set his sights on young actress Dyan Cannon. Though their subsequent marriage didn’t last very long, the union did produce Grant’s only child, Jennifer—the light of the aging actor’s life.

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Stepping into such well-known shoes comes with its fair share of pitfalls for an actor, but Isaacs is up for the challenge: “There was only one Cary Grant and I’d never be foolish enough to try to step into his iconic shoes. Archie Leach, on the other hand, couldn’t be further from the character he invented to save himself. Jeff’s brilliant scripts bring to life his relentless struggle to escape the demons that plagued him, his obsessive need for control, his fears, his weaknesses, his loves and his losses. It’s the story of a man, not a legend, and those are shoes I can’t wait to walk in.”

The series is set to premiere later this year on streaming services and a few months later on ITV itself. Stay tuned for more casting information as it’s announced.

What do you think of Isaacs as Grant? Are you looking forward to this one?

If you can’t wait for Archie‘s premiere, tune in to TCM on August 28 for a day devoted to Cary Grant’s filmography.

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