There’ve been a lot of great British miniseries over the years. We got Alec Guinness as quiet, analytical spy George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Gillian Anderson as a doomed Dickensian grand dame in Bleak House; Colin Firth participating in a wet T-shirt contest in the literary porn that was Pride & Prejudice. But one really stands out from the pack: BBC’s 1990 production House of Cards, starring Ian Richardson as a scheming Conservative MP trying to make a power-play in the aftermath of Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister. It was funny and insightful, utilizing an original form of wall-breaking direct-address storytelling where Richardson spoke directly into the camera…and so uniquely British as to resist an easy Americanized adaptation.
Well, 22 years later, executive producer David Fincher‘s finally about to bring his long-rumored version of House of Cards to the U.S. This time, Kevin Spacey is an ambitious campaign adviser who teams up with a newspaper reporter to bring down the administration he helped elect, after his promised promotion to Secretary of State doesn’t pan out. In short, the perfect opportunity for Spacey to indulge his more menacing side. Think of his character like a cross between David Axelrod and Keyser Soze.
You certainly don’t have to take our word for it that this is no Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Netflix, which will be releasing the series all at once on February 13, has posted this new trailer. We give you permission to feel all cynical about the political process, so go ahead and watch it.
Despiting looking almost exactly like a Fincher movie, the Social Network auteur has only directed two of the first season’s seven episodes. James Foley and Joel Schumacher have helmed the rest. Looking forward to watching House of Cards come February?
Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt
[Photo Credit: Netflix]
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