If you’re looking for details on a Gentleman in Moscow movie (it’s actually a limited series) or want to know what’s going on with the Kenneth Branaugh’s A Gentleman in Moscow series adaptation, here’s what we know:
What’s it about?
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is a work of historical fiction novel set in Moscow in 1922. After the Russian Revolution when the Bolsheviks take control, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is spared from death due to poem he wrote when he was younger indicating his revolutionary sympathies, but he’s placed under house arrest inside the Metropol Hotel.
The novel was published on September 6, 2016 by Viking.
See the Full Summary and Review of A Gentleman in Moscow on The Bibliofile.
What format will it be? Is A Gentleman in Moscow planned as a Movie or a Series?
It’s planned as a limited series, to be 6-8 hours in length in total (according to author Amor Towles).
Who’s behind it?
Carolyn Newman of Entertainment One, a Canadian production company, acquired the film rights to A Gentleman in Moscow in August 2017.
In 2018, it was announced that Kenneth Branaugh had become attached to the project to produce the series along with Entertainment One as well as star in it. Branaugh has other book to film projects in the works as well, as he also recently directed and stars in Death on the Nile as Hercule Poirot, which is expected to be released in 2020.
Tom Harper will direct the series. Harper previously directed Peaky Blinders and the BBC TV mini-series War & Peace (2016), which is also set in Russia.
From Tom Harper’s 2016 War & Peace BBC Series
The international rights for the Gentleman in Moscow screen adaptation reside with Entertainment One as well.
Who’s in the cast?
Kenneth Branaugh will produce and star in the series as Count Alexander Rostov. Additional casting details have not yet been announced.
I'm thrilled to announce that Kenneth Branagh has signed on to star in the TV adaptation of A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW to be directed by Tom Harper @tomharps. Up the stairs of the Metropol he'll go – two steps at a time, as has been his habit since the academy! pic.twitter.com/wBM3JmxvXc
— amor towles (@amortowles) April 3, 2018
When will it be released?
Currently unknown.
Is there a trailer or teaser available?
Not yet! Stay tuned.
A Gentleman in Moscow Movie / Series Development Timeline
September 6, 2016 A Gentleman in Moscow (novel) is released by Viking, a division of Penguin Random House in North America.
August 18, 2017 A Gentleman is Moscow is optioned to Entertainment One, to be developed as a limited series.
April 3, 2018 The treatment (a detailed outline of the book and major scenes, not quite a script but typically the pre-cursor to one) for The Gentleman in Moscow adaptation is noted to have been completed.
April 3, 2018 Deadline reports that Kenneth Branaugh is set to produce and star in the A Gentleman in Moscow adaptation.
July 13, 2019 Amor Towles notes in a talk that he’s recently returned from London working on the development of the A Gentleman in Moscow screen adaptation.
The book was FANTASTIC! I can’t wait to see the screen adaptation!
Brilliant book. I am really looking forward to the TV series.
You have to be patient with this book. If you stay with it til the end you will appreciate the great narrative the author weaves between history and fiction.
I’ve been waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
I have concerns with Kenneth Branaugh being involved. He seems to have too many irons in the fire all the time.
I have not seen one update on the movie since mid 2019. That’s almost two years ago!
Please. I’m an old lady. I’d like to see this as a movie or TV series before I die.
Just finished the book, being so ehilirated that I will order “Rules of Civility” and pre-order “The Lincoln Highway”, too. Nice to know that Kenneth Branagh is involved in the TV adaptation.
I just finished reading this exquisite book—a blend of the detailed description of life in Russia that reminds me of Tolstoy’s “Ann Karinina” and the humorous description of events and discussions of Mark Twain. It is an intricately-crafted story that reminded me that I need to pay more attention to details as I read. Towles has usurped the position of my favorite author, thereby deposing the likes of Rowling and Clancy! I can’t wait to see if the series does justice to this excellent story.