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'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell': A trailer for the TV adaptation is here

Former Monitor critic Ron Charles called 'Jonathan' 'thoroughly enchanting.' The TV version will star 'Ray Donovan' actor Eddie Marsan and Bertie Carvel, who starred in the Broadway production of 'Matilda.'

  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

A trailer has arrived for the BBC adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s novel “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.”

“Jonathan” follows the two title characters, who are practitioners of magic living in England in the early 1800s. Mr. Norrell is retiring and careful, while Jonathan Strange is a splashy figure who is taken on as a student by Mr. Norrell.

Former Monitor critic Ron Charles called the book “altogether original – far closer to Dickens than Rowling ... a thoroughly enchanting story…. Mr. Norrell is a wonderfully odd character in what's practically an encyclopedia of wonderfully odd characters…. [it’s a] marvelous historical novel, told with a dry wit that will appeal to fans of Jane Austen.”

Actor Bertie Carvel, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as the villainous Miss Trunchbull in “Matilda,” is playing Jonathan Strange, while “Ray Donovan” actor Eddie Marsan is playing Mr. Norrell.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming TV adaptation. 

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