Pathé has given Sir Michael Caine fans a sneak peek at his role in The Great Escaper, the upcoming film in which he reunites with fellow national treasure Glenda Jackson.

Advertisement

The film, directed by BAFTA nominee Oliver Parker, tells the true story of how octogenarian Bernard Jordan escaped from his care home in 2014 to attend the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in France.

In the first-look image, Caine is in character as Bernard, saluting aboard a ship with the rest of the film's cast behind him.

The Academy Award winner will be starring alongside Jackson, marking the pair's first acting project together in nearly 50 years since 1975's The Romantic Englishwoman.

Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson sitting together.
The Great Escaper. Alamy

The Great Escaper will follow Bernard as he stages a great escape from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a Normandy beach to honour their fallen comrades in an adventure that spans 48 hours.

Jackson is set to play Rene, Bernard's wife to whom he's been married for 60 years, with the story celebrating "their love without sentimentality and with an eye to the lessons we might all learn from the Greatest Generation".

Caine, who turns 90 today (14th March), is best known for his roles in Zulu, The Ipcress Files, The Italian Job, Hannah and Her Sisters, and The Cider House Rules, while more recently, he's appeared in Kingsman: The Secret Service, Interstellar, Tenet and Best Sellers.

Meanwhile, Jackson is a fellow Academy Award winner, picking up gongs for her roles in Women in Love and A Touch of Class, and recently appearing in Elizabeth Is Missing and Mothering Sunday after returning to acting from a 27-year hiatus in 2019.

Read more:

The Great Escaper opens in cinemas later this year. Wondering what to watch on TV? Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

Advertisement

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Lauren Morris
Lauren MorrisEntertainment and Factual Writer
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement