“You’ve got to pick a pocket or two…” An indelible creation of literary great Charles Dickens and a cinematic icon thanks to the wonderful performance of the tragic Jack Wild in Carol Reed’s epic musical Oliver!, pick-pocket, raconteur, and loveable street urchin The Artful Dodger is about to be revived courtesy of a new eight-episode Australian series set to unfurl on Disney+.
This, however, is The Artful Dodger with a difference. Did you ever wonder what happened to The Dodger after the bittersweet climax of Oliver!? Well, according to this series co-created and executive produced by Beach Road Pictures’ David Maher and David Taylor – along with Jo Porter (executive producer), James McNamara (co-creator and co-executive producer), Andrew Knight (co-executive producer and writer), Jeffrey Walker (co-Executive producer and director) and Ross Allsop (producer) – The Artful Dodger ended up in the gritty backwater of 1850s Australia. The Dodger has managed to crack on successfully as a surgeon, but he just can’t shake his predilection for crime. From high-octane heists to high stakes surgeries, all set against the backdrop of a bustling, burgeoning Australia, The Artful Dodger is set to take one of the most recognisable characters in cinema history on a brand new journey.
Stitched in to play The Artful Dodger is English actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who started his career as “the kid in Love Actually” but now has a long and impressive resume dotted with top-tier titles like The Maze Runner, Wolf Hall, Nanny McPhee, Game Of Thrones, The Queens Gambit and Pistol. Brodie-Sangster will be backed by Brit powerhouse David Thewlis, who will take on the role of street boss Fagin, originally made famous by Ron Moody, and local actress Maia Mitchell (Good Trouble, The Fosters), who will play Lady Belle Fox.
The cast includes an incredible line-up of Australian talent, featuring Damon Herriman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Judy And Punch), Miranda Tapsell (Top End Wedding, The Sapphires), Tim Minchin (Upright, Californication), Susie Porter (Wentworth, Gold), Kym Gyngell (Love Me, Black Snow), Damien Garvey (Nautilus, Jack Irish), Jessica De Gouw (The Secrets She Keeps, The Drover’s Wife), Andrea Demetriades (The End, Seven Types Of Ambiguity), Luke Carroll (Upright, Preppers) and English-born, Australian export Huw Higginson (Total Control, Janet King). Joining the cast are rising talents, Lucy-Rose Leonard, Nicholas Burton, Jude Hyland, Finn Treacy and Albert Latailakepa.
The Artful Dodger will steal onto Disney+ in 2023.
