Here’s Our First Look at the New Les Misérables Adaptation

After numerous adaptations, the brick is headed to the screen again. Masterpiece PBS and BBC One have a six-part Les Misérables drama in the works, and a first look at the adaptation has just been offered through newly revealed stills of three lead characters: Dominic West’s Jean Valjean, David Oyelowo’s Javert, and Lily Collins’ Fantine—find those images down below.

This new adaptation is returning to the text of the novel for its run, a contrast to the 2012 film, which drew largely from the musical adaptation of Les Misérables. At over 2.5 hours long, the 2012 Les Misérables was longer than most movies, but even with this additional time, large cuts from the book were made. However, it’s no wonder sections were trimmed out, as the novel is a hulking 1,500 pages in the English version (approximately) and hovers around 1,900 pages in the original French—it isn’t called “the brick” without reason. The six-part format for the forthcoming adaptation will hopefully allow for a closer look at the novel and the intricacies of its characters.

While there have been no announcements about the casting of the beloved barricade boys (the revolutionaries referred to as Les Amis de l’ABC/The Friends of the ABC), other well-known characters have had faces assigned to their names. Adeel Akhtar and Olivia Colman will take command of the boisterous and thieving Monsieur and Madame Thénardier, respectively, with Erin Kellyman portraying their daughter Éponine. Ellie Bamber (Pride And Prejudice And Zombies) fills the role of Cosette, and, perhaps most excitingly, Josh O’Connor will play Marius. Regardless of your opinion of the oft-criticized Marius, O’Connor’s moving portrayal of the conflicted Johnny Saxby in God’s Own Country (which is available on Netflix) makes him a character to look forward to.

Check out the pictures we have thus far from the new adaptation below.