In a twist which Julian Fellowes himself might have written, “The Gilded Age,” which hails from the “Downton Abbey” creator, has moved from NBC to HBO.
The cabler has handed out a 10-episode production commitment, but is yet to reveal when “The Gilded Age” will finally premiere. After years of gestation, the 1885-set series was picked up by NBC last year and was aiming for a Spring 2019 debut.
“Given the opulent scope and scale of this richly textured character drama, HBO is the perfect home for ‘The Gilded Age,’” said Casey Bloys, president of programming at the cabler. “We’re all huge fans of Julian and I know I speak for Bob Greenblatt — who was involved in the development of this series while at Universal Television — when I say we’re thrilled to bring his undeniable genius to our viewers.”
Set in New York in the 1880s, “The Gilded Age” tells the story of a new-money family trying to join the ranks of the Astors and Vanderbilts. The drama was in development for more than six years at NBC, after Bob Greenblatt, who was chairman of NBC Entertainment at the time, first announced that its development at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in 2012. Several years passed with little movement towards production, but in Jan., 2018, NBC put out a 10-episode series order.
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“As with all of our studio projects, our goal is to find them the home that is the best fit for the series. We love the ambition and scope of ‘The Gilded Age,’ and after a highly competitive bidding process, ultimately came to the conclusion that HBO is the perfect network for this epic story. We can’t wait to partner with them to bring Julian’s majestic drama to audiences all over the globe,” said Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment in a statement.
Also upcoming from Fellowes is the “Downton Abbey” movie, which released a teaser trailer in late 2018 and is set hit theaters in September.
“I feel very privileged to be making ‘The Gilded Age’ with HBO and Universal Television,” said Fellowes on the change. “It has been a dream of mine for some time, as I am fascinated by this brutal and intensely glamorous period of America’s history. It will be about ambition, of course, and envy and hatred and, perhaps most of all, about love. I hope people will enjoy the series. I know I will enjoy making it.”
Fellowes will executive produce the series alongside Gareth Neame, with whom he partnered on both the original “Downton” series and the upcoming big screen version. TV veteran Michael Engler, who directed multiple episodes of “Downton,” will direct and serve as an EP.