Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Trailer: Gathering the Magic Men

It’s been a while since I last heard “In the Hall of the Mountain King” in a trailer. I didn’t even mind the overused piece of music this time, partly because of its apparent hiatus but mostly because Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell looks good enough that they could have played nearly any track over this spot and still hooked me. The Gothic fantasy series is based on the 2004 novel by Susanna Clarke about two magicians in 19th century England and stars Bertie Carvel (Les Miserables) and Eddie Marsan (The Illusionist) as the title characters. Toby Haynes (Doctor Who) is the director of all seven of its episodes, which begin airing on BBC One next month.

The trailer comes to our attention via Slashfilm, where the story is described as something between Harry Potter and The Prestige. I sense more of the former given that it’s set in a word of actual magic, rather than illusion, and features fairies, but it also doesn’t appear to be kid-friendly. It’s not just that it seems too macabre, but there’s also a lot to do with heavy political history, albeit of an alternate universe, of the Napoleonic era. At more than 700 pages, there’s a lot going on in “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell,” and I’m curious if they’re really fitting the whole thing in so few episodes. If not, there’s chance for another season. Clarke is also currently working on a sequel that could serve that purpose.

For fans of the novel, seven hours for the adaptation will at least sound more sufficient and faithful than the movie planned a decade ago in Hollywood. Screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Atonement) had been tasked with the job of condensing the book to a feature-length film, and although he found the challenge to be “fun,” he also later admitted that he left the project upon realizing that the producers weren’t interested in sticking too closely to what was on the page.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell will also be available on BBC America this summer.

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