Julia Roberts has joined the cast of the upcoming six-part comedy drama series Leonard and Hungry Paul as the narrator.
The series, produced for BBC Northern Ireland by Irish production company Subotica, also stars Alex Lawther, Laurie Kynaston and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, and is coming soon to BBC One Northern Ireland, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Leonard and Hungry Paul is based on the award-winning, best-selling novel of the same name by Rónán Hession and has been adapted for television by writers Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson. The series is directed by Andrew Chaplin and co-produced with Avalon.
Tristan Orpen Lynch, Executive Producer for Subotica says: “It is truly wonderful to have the amazingly talented Julia Roberts join the production, we had heard she was a big fan of Rónán’s beautiful book and she brings a real warmth and genuine compassionate understanding to this important role which guides us through the unique world and special characters.”
Eddie Doyle, Senior Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland, says: “To have Julia Roberts lend her extraordinary voice and storytelling talent to this series is another ringing endorsement for how special this project is. Her narration will add to the magic of this story and we are excited to bring it to audiences very soon.”
Set to air later this Autumn, the feel-good series follows two board-gaming friends in their thirties; Leonard, a ghost writer of children’s encyclopaedias, and Hungry Paul, a part-time postal worker who still lives at home, who meander through leafy suburban life finding solace in their quiet routines. The unexpected death of Leonard’s mother, the approaching wedding of Hungry Paul’s sister and a tentative new romance for Leonard, prompts both men to meet a world that is suddenly wider and full of unfamiliar possibilities.
Alongside Julia Roberts as the narrator it is set to star Alex Lawther (The End Of The F***ing World, ALIEN: EARTH) as Leonard, Laurie Kynaston (Fool Me Once, Sandman) as Hungry Paul and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Derry Girls, Screw) as Shelley.
Also joining the cast are Helen Behan (The Virtues), Lorcan Cranitch (Bloodlands), Niamh Branigan (Harry Wild), Paul Reid (Sherlock & Daughter), Charlotte McCurry (Say Nothing) and David O’Reilly (Doctors).
Leonard And Hungry Paul is a Subotica production for BBC Northern Ireland in association with BBC Comedy, Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland and RTÉ, and a co-production with Avalon who will distribute the show internationally. The series was commissioned by Eddie Doyle, Senior Head of Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland. The Executive Producers are Tristan Orpen Lynch and Aoife O’Sullivan for Subotica, alongside in-house producer Natalie McAuley. Paula Warwick and Adam Barth are Executive Producers for Avalon, Production finance assistance provided by Marc Lorber, The Art of Coproduction. The director is Andrew Chaplin. Kate McColgan is Executive Producer for Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland and other Executive Producers include Wally Hall, David Harari, Morwin Schmookler, Ross Boucher and George Rush. Mary McKeagney and Emma Lawson are Commissioning Editors for the BBC.
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