Hollywood’s latest power play has tongues wagging, darlings. In what can only be described as divine casting karma, Dominic West and Sienna Miller are about to serve up the kind of delicious drama we’ve been desperately craving since the writers’ strike shook things up last year.
The pair — who haven’t shared a stage since their electric chemistry in “As You Like It” nearly two decades ago — are heading to HBO and Sky’s “War.” And trust me, sweethearts, this isn’t your grandmother’s legal drama.
Fresh off his stint as the now-King Charles in “The Crown” (and wasn’t that just spot-on?), West is stepping into some seriously expensive Italian leather as tech mogul Morgan Henderson. Meanwhile, Miller — who’s been absolutely everywhere lately, from Netflix to the front rows at Fashion Week — takes on the role of his soon-to-be-ex, Carla Duval. The casting department deserves whatever they’re being paid, and then some.
George Kay (you know, the genius who gave us “Lupin” and last year’s surprise hit “Hijack”) is the mastermind behind this delightfully wicked venture. He’s promising the kind of double-crossing, scandal-soaked narrative that made “Succession” look like a family picnic — though hopefully with better tailoring, darling.
The premise? Oh, it’s absolutely everything. Two of London’s most cutthroat law firms, Cathcarts and Taylor & Byrne, are going head-to-head in what’s being dubbed “the divorce case of the century.” Think “Marriage Story” meets “Suits,” but with those crisp British accents that make everything sound 40% more sophisticated.
And the supporting cast? Honey, it’s a feast. They’ve managed to snag Phoebe Fox, James McArdle, and the absolutely divine Nina Sosanya (who, between us, has never given a bad performance in her life). Then there’s Pip Torrens — still riding high from his scene-stealing work in “Succession” — and Archie Reneaux, who’s been absolutely everywhere since that Netflix breakthrough last fall.
HBO’s Francesca Orsi couldn’t contain herself when describing the show as “a wild and wicked examination of the brutal battlefield that is divorce.” And let’s be honest — if there’s one thing HBO knows how to do, it’s making wealthy people’s problems absolutely riveting television.
What’s particularly refreshing (in this era of streaming services wielding the cancellation axe faster than a Real Housewife changes alliances) is the two-season commitment right out of the gate. Both HBO and Sky are clearly betting the farm on this one, and with Ben Taylor of “Catastrophe” fame in the director’s chair, they might just have backed the right horse.
Perhaps it’s the combination of West’s gravitas and Miller’s undeniable screen presence. Maybe it’s the promise of watching beautiful people destroy each other while wearing Tom Ford. Whatever the secret sauce might be, “War” has all the makings of our next collective obsession — and darling, we’re here for every perfectly tailored moment of it.
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