The Girl Before: Gugu Mbatha-Raw to star in HBO Max adaption of J.P. Delaney’s book
By Mads Lennon
J.P. Delaney’s The Girl Before is getting an adaptation! HBO Max and BBC One will team up to co-produce the psychological thriller, a four-episode limited series based on the global bestselling book.
According to the official press release from WarnerMedia, the series will star Gugu Mbatha-Raw of The Morning Show and Misbehavior fame and Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy Award-nominated actor David Oyelowo (Selma, Les Misérables). Lisa Brühlmann, the Emmy-nominated director behind shows like Killing Eve and Servant, is set to direct the limited series.
Mbatha-Raw is doing quite well for herself these days, with roles lined up in an Apple TV+ thriller called Surface and a starring role alongside Tom Hiddleston in the Disney+ series Loki. As a talented actress, the 37-year-old has been breaking out with roles over the last few years.
Both Mbatha-Raw and her co-star were quoted expressing their enthusiasm for the project, calling it a “compelling” and “mind-bending” story.
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Read the official logline for The Girl Before from HBO Max and BBC One:
"THE GIRL BEFORE tells the story of Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (David Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules.Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways but, when she makes the shocking discovery that her predecessor Emma died in the house, she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before…"
When will The Girl Before premiere?
The press release announcing the adaption doesn’t reveal any production details or release date window for the series, which likely means it’s still in the very early stages of development. As such, I don’t think that the limited series will officially premiere on BBC One or HBO Max until 2022. It might also premiere on BBC One first, with an American premiere set for a few weeks later, as has been the case with other co-productions by the studios — or vice versa.
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The Girl Before will stream in the U.S. on HBO Max and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, with WarnerMedia also controlling rights for additional select territories around the world.