Crusoe (TV series)

Crusoe is a new NBC adventure drama, based on the legendary novel by Daniel Defoe, and is the tale of Robinson Crusoe. A young man leaves his true love to embark on an adventure -- only to end up shipwrecked on a remote tropical island for 28 years, completely detached from the life he once knew. His desire to return to his wife and his strong and unlikely friendship with Friday are the only things that keep him sane. While stranded, Crusoe encounters enemies and braves the elements. The two hour series premiere is scheduled to air on Friday 17 October 2008 at 8pm, on NBC and will air regularly on Fridays for 13 episodes.

Production

The show is being made by London based independent production company Power for NBC and is a co-production by Power, Moonlighting in South Africa and Muse in Canada. Power has claimed this is the first time a US network "commissioned a British supplier for nearly 40 years". Justin Bodle is the executive producer for Power, with Michael Prupas executive producer for Muse and Genevieve Hofmeyr for Moonlighting. Other executive producers are Jeff Hayes, Stephen Greenberg and Jean Bureau. The series format has been developed for television by British writer Stephen Gallagher with a writing staff that includes Andrew Rattenbury, Debbie Oates, and Nick Fisher.

The series is due to be screened in the US in fall 2008. NBC ran a heavy promotion campaign during its screening of the summer's Beijing Olympic Games. The show has been sold to other countries including Canada.

Filming

Filming began in York, England in May 2008 with an estimated budget of £17 million. Exterior footage was shot around York in location including The Shambles, St. Leonard's hospital, the River Ouse, and York's Guildhall. Scenes were also shot in Whitby, North Yorkshire on the replica frigate the Grand Turk. In early June filming moved to the North Yorkshire Moors using the backdrop of the Ryedale Folk Museum, in Hutton-le-Hole. Other filming locations for the series are the Garden Route in South Africa and the Seychelles

Cast and characters

• Philip Winchester as Robinson Crusoe, the title character.
• Tongayi Chirisa as Friday, a liberated slave who becomes Crusoe's companion.
• Anna Walton as Susannah Crusoe, Robinson's wife.
• Sean Bean as James Crusoe, Robinson's widowed father.
• Joaquim De Almeida as Santana, captain of the Spanish Guard.
• Sam Neill as Jeremiah Blackthorn, friend of the Crusoe family.
• Mía Maestro as Olivia
• Jeremy Crutchley, Tertius meintjes and Toni Caprari .

References

External links

Official Site

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