When it comes to superstar siblings, you don't get (too much) better than Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal (they of the surname that is regularly mangled by writers). Jake tore up the cinemas in End of Watch recently, and now big sis Maggie is heading for the small screen.
She'll be taking the leading role in BBC Two drama The Honourable Woman, a production which The Hollywood Reporter describes as "a fast-paced thriller, set against an international political backdrop". It's an 8-part drama set against the Arab-Israeli conflict to be precise, and Maggie will be playing Nessa Stein, the daughter of a Zionist arms procurer who witnessed his assassination as a child.
Nessa inherits her father's company when she comes of age, but instead of continuing the family business ala Tony Stark, she decides that they'd be far better off laying data cabling networks between Israel and the West Bank. Why do we have a feeling it won't be that simple for her then? Eh, because it never, ever is.
"I couldn't put the scripts down" said Gyllenhaal. "Nessa is such an exciting and intricate character. I can't wait to begin filming." And neither can the BBC: Sure isn't the broadcaster only delighted to have her on board? "Maggie Gyllenhaal will be a perfect Nessa Stein, and I am delighted that she has agreed to play her" said Polly Hill, head of independent drama at the BBC. "Hugo Blick has created a complex character in Nessa, with an extraordinary story and the combination of Hugo’s stunning scripts and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the lead role is an exciting and powerful combination."
The Honourable Woman will take us from the UK, to the Middle East, and even as far as America, with filming on location starting in July.
