Elizabeth Debicki confirms work on The Night Manager sequel: “I’m sworn to secrecy”
The Australian actor played Jeb in the smash hit BBC spy thriller in 2016
Ever since smash-hit BBC/AMC drama The Night Manager finished in 2016, fans have had one question on their minds – will there be a follow-up series following the further adventures of Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine?
And while the first series was based on a book by legendary spy author John Le Carre which has no sequels, most of the parties involved have expressed interest in carrying on the story. Director Susanna Bier suggested the project was ongoing soon after the series concluded, and last November it was revealed that scripts were being developed in early stages by Matthew Orton.
Now, though, we have a more concrete look at the likelihood of the sequel thanks to series one star Elizabeth Debicki, who played the unhappy partner to Laurie’s weapons dealer in the first series before aiding Pine in his undercover investigation.
“Is there another one? I’m sworn to secrecy…” Debicki teased when RadioTimes.com asked her about the series last week, much to the excitement of her Peter Rabbit co-star (and Star Wars lead) Daisy Ridley (the pair voice Mopsy and Cottontail in the new Beatrix Potter adaptation).
“Is there another one???” Ridley asked.
“I can’t…you can’t win that game can you?” Debicki replied. “You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”
“Isn’t it a John le Carré novel?” Ridley said.
“It was based on the one so I’m…yeah,” Debicki continued.
“Ohhhh, they’ve gone off [book],” Ridley replied.
“Did you do that Marvel thing where you ask me a question and then if I answer it it’s affirming something?” laughed Debicki. “I feel like that’s something that always happens with Marvel [films].
“I think [a sequel] might be in the works, yeah,” she concluded diplomatically.
“I didn’t know that was coming,” Ridley beamed. “I’m excited.”
Of course, before a return to the world of high-class spying Debicki and Ridley can enjoy some more homegrown adventures, with the pair getting to grips with their furry characters in the new Peter Rabbit live-action film.
“Mopsy’s the eldest of the triplets.” Debicki said of her character in the movie, which also stars James Corden, Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson.
“They’re six seconds apart, but it’s very important to her. She stakes a lot of her identity on that. And she’s sassy and she’s bossy, but I think she’s very sweet, and well-intentioned and mothering.”
“Cottontail is a little bit all over the place, and I think it’s sweet too – she’s kinda trying to be her own person while idolising [James Corden’s] Peter,” Ridley added.
“She wants to cause as much havoc as him, and be as adventurous as him, but I think they all just really love each other. And that’s beautiful.
“[Director and co-writer Will Gluck] literally wrote the parts specifically. Not for us, but I think when he knew people wanted to be involved, he tailored the parts to us. So I think they felt very much like us.”
“The film’s got a bit of everything – kids love it, and I know that adults love it too,” Debicki concluded.
“It’s a really beautiful film, actually, and the animation is extraordinary. Just the visuals are extraordinary.”
“I think at the heart of it it’s a really beautiful story about love, and family,” Ridley agreed.
“It’s a continuation of something people really know, but sort of relevant for now. It’s fun, and silly, and is very funny and very moving.”
Peter Rabbit is in UK cinemas now
This article was originally published in March 2018
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
