Gillian Anderson is set to play Emily Maitlis in aNetflix film telling the story behind Newsnight's infamous interview withPrince Andrew, according to reports.
The streaming giant was said to have won the rights to screen the project, which will be called Scoop – based on a book by BBC producer Sam McAlister, who negotiated and secured the explosive booking.
During the interview, the Duke of York, 62, was quizzed by former BBC journalist Ms Maitlis, 52, about his connections to the late convicted sex offender and Wall Street financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Ms Maitlis also questioned Andrew over Virginia Giuffre's claims that she was forced into sex with the Duke of York when she was 17 by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the media heiress who is serving20 years behind bars for sex-trafficking girls for the financier.
Andrew strongly denied the allegations throughout the interview. Later, hecame to an out of court settlement, reportedly worth £12million, with Ms Giuffre. The settlement is not an admission of guilt.
According toMailOnline, along with Gillian Anderson, the show is to star Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew, Keeley Hawes as Amanda Thirsk, the former private secretary to the Duke of York, whileBillie Piper has been cast as Ms McAlister.
Producer Ms McAlister said: “It is beyond my wildest dreams, especially as a first-time writer, to end up working with this extraordinary cast, Netflix, and the amazing teams at The Lighthouse and Voltage.
“Watching Billie Piper, one of my favourite actresses, play “me” will be a pinch-myself moment and I’m truly thrilled to be involved in this film.”
The show is to be directed by The Crown's director Philip Martin.
He said: “I’m thrilled to be directing this film for Netflix and – together with an extraordinary cast – to be bringing Sam McAlister’s revelatory insider’s account to the screen.
“Up-tempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breath-taking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew – to tell a story about a search for answers in a world of speculation and varying recollections.
“It’s a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how – whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms – we judge what’s true.”
The Newsnight interview was described as a ‘car crash’ after Prince Andrew made a number of claims – including that a medical condition left him unable to sweat and that he could not have been with Ms Giuffre at the time of the alleged encounter because he was eating at a Pizza Express in Woking.
Andrew, the lateQueen’s second son, stepped down from public life in 2019 amid the fallout from theinterview. The Queen also stripped Andrew of his military affiliations and patronages.
Recently it has been reported that Andrew isgearing up to launch a £10million legal case in a bid to overturn his multi-million pound settlement with Virginia Giuffre.
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