PBS Masterpiece has acquiredThe Great Escaper, starring Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson in their final acting roles, andThe Count of Monte Cristo, starring Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons, for its 2025 and 2026 seasons. The network announced the acquisition on Wednesday, May 21.
The Great Escaperis a British film that first debuted in October 2023 in the U.K. It will air on PBS Masterpiece this fall in its U.S. television debut. Two-time Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner Bille August is at the helm of this latest adaptation ofThe Count of Monte Cristo, which already aired in Italy to much success. The adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ iconic masterpiece will premiere on PBS in 2026. An exact premiere date will be announced at a later time for the eight-episode limited series.
Masterpiece Head of Scripted Content and Executive Producer Susanne Simpson announced the acquisitions at the PBS Annual Meeting today (May 21).
“I couldn’t be happier to be bringing these special programs to our audience. British acting royalty and an adaptation of a classic piece of literature – The Great Escaper and The Count of Monte Cristo are both perfect Masterpiece fare,” said Simpson. Masterpiece is presented on PBS by GBH Boston.
The Great Escaper (trailer above) tells the true story of Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine) who made global headlines in the summer of 2014. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.
It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitized retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war.
Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson); The Great Escaper celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation. From Pathé and BBC Films, The Great Escaper is an Ecosse Film production made in co-production with Film I Väst and Filmgate Films.
The Count of Monte Cristo (trailer below) is a lushly lensed adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ iconic masterpiece. In the epic series directed by August, Sam Claflin (Daisy Jones and the Six, The Hunger Games) stars as Edmond Dantes, a 19-year-old sailor who was falsely accused of treason and is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress off Marseille, France.
After many years of captivity he finally escapes and discovers treasure, making him one of the richest men in the world. Under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, he plans to take revenge on those who wrongly accused him. Ana Girardot (The Returned) and Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) also star.
The Count of Monte Cristo is produced by Palomar and DEMD Productions, two Mediawan companies, and distributed worldwide by MediawanRights in cooperation with CAA (for North America) and with the participation of Entourage Ventures.
Recent releases from PBS Masterpiece includeMiss Austen andWolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.