Aisling Walsh will follow up “Maudie” with a BBC One adaptation of “Elizabeth Is Missing.” Based on Emma Healey’s 2014 mystery novel of the same name, the one-off feature length drama will star two-time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson. Deadline confirmed the news.
“Elizabeth Is Missing” sees a woman with dementia (Jackson) setting out to solve the mystery of her missing best friend. Her mission becomes increasingly difficult as her condition worsens and the past and present begin to blur. Andrea Gibb (“Call the Midwife”) will pen the script and is among the project’s exec producers. Walsh is directing.
“Emma’s novel and Andrea’s screenplay paint the most striking portrait of a woman in the grip of a devastating condition. I am delighted to be making my return to television to play Maud, a character it’s impossible not to be charmed and moved by,” said Jackson, who won Oscars for her roles in 1970’s “Women in Love” and 1973’s “A Touch of Class.” The upcoming series marks the British actress’ return to the screen after a 25 year hiatus which saw her serving as a politician and acting on the stage.
Walsh most recently helmed 2016 Sally Hawkins-starrer “Maudie,” an award-winning biopic about Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis. “An Inspector Calls” and “Room at the Top” are among the Irish filmmaker’s other credits.
When we asked Walsh about the lack of opportunities for women behind the camera, she said, “I never thought about it very much in the beginning because I existed in the art school world; there were five girls to every 20 guys in my class. Film school was about the same. At that time, many women in Ireland planned on being something like a nurse or secretary after school. I came from a world that was quite tough for women in general. If you got married, you had to quit your job,” she emphasized. “But, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I was very fortunate. My brother is a musician, and my sister is in fashion. My family just did it so. I never thought that I couldn’t do it. I merely saw it as the road less traveled, and I was on it. I never thought that if I stuck at it, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”
“Elizabeth Is Missing” is slated to film later this summer in Scotland and will be distributed internationally by Sky Vision.
