Casting announcement for Elizabeth Macneal’s The Doll Factory

We are thrilled to announce that Paramount+ has unveiled the cast for its adaptation of Elizabeth Macneal’s glorious Sunday Times bestselling debut The Doll Factory on Variety.

The Doll Factory is set in London in 1850 and tells the story of Iris who, along with her twin sister Rose, paints dolls for a living but dreams of becoming a famous artist. When taxidermist Silas, whose ambition is to find an item so unique it will be chosen to be displayed at the Great Exhibition, and Pre-Raphaelite painter Louis, who is searching for his next muse, enter into Iris’ orbit, each offer her a means of escaping her life of drudgery. To do so means she must abandon her sister, sacrifice her reputation and launch herself into the unknown. But as Iris’ world expands, a story of love, art and dark obsession begins to unfold.

Leading the cast is Esmé Creed-Miles (Hanna) as Iris, Éanna Hardwicke (Normal People) as Silas, Mirren Mack (Sex Education, The Witcher: Blood Origin) as Rose, and George Webster (Wedding Season) as Louis.

Also joining the ensemble cast are Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard), Sharlene Whyte (Stephen), newcomer Reece Kenwyne-Mpudzi, Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone), Saoirse Monica Jackson (Derry Girls), Laurie Kynaston (The Sandman), Jim Caesar (The Witcher), Akshay Khanna (Chloe), Aysha Kala (The Undeclared War) and Nell Hudson (Outlander).

Produced by Buccaneer Media (Marcella, The Burning Girls) and adapted for screen by rising British screenwriter Charley Miles, The Doll Factory is set to become a six episode Paramount+ original series with both Elizabeth Macneal and Charley Miles attached as executive producers alongside Tony Wood, Anna Burns and Richard Tulk-Hart from Buccaneer. Sacha Polak (Hanna, Dirty God) is directing the series, while Suzanne McAuley (Magpie Murders, Maigret) is series producer and Julie Harkin (I May Destroy You, Becoming Elizabeth) is casting director. Cineflix Rights will be distributing the series internationally and public broadcasters SBS in Australia, and New Zealand’s TVNZ have already pre-bought this dark Victorian thriller.

Anna Burns, executive producer at Buccaneer, said: “We are so excited about the group of people we’ve brought together for this show. Charley and Sacha are an incredible team, and we couldn’t wish for a more talented cast to be bringing to life the characters we love so much. A huge thanks to Paramount+ who we are delighted to be working with again, and to our partners at Cineflix, SBS and TVNZ. Finally, thank you to Elizabeth Macneal, who has been a dream collaborator from the very start.”

Filming for The Doll Factory has started on location in and around Dublin and will continue through to 2023.

Congratulations Elizabeth! We cannot wait to watch your incredible characters and the richly described world of Victorian London bought to life on screen.