Certainly one of the most intriguing small-screen projects currently in the works is NBC’s miniseries adaptation of Rosemary’s Baby. The project was greenlit late last year, and NBC has been busying itself in recent weeks with recruiting actors for the four-hour series.
The network previously announced that it had chosen Avatar actress Zoe Saldana to take on the title role of an expectant newlywed who begins to fear that her husband and new neighbors may have sinister intentions for her and her unborn child. Last month, Suits‘ Patrick J. Adams and Harry Potter‘s Jason Isaacs were both added to the show, as Rosemary’s husband Guy Woodhouse and creepy coven leader Roman Castevet, respectively. Now, two additional actresses have been cast.
Deadline is reporting that Carole Bouquet will take on the role of Margaux Castevet, “a sophisticated and beautiful Parisian socialite who befriends young Rosemary,” when she relocates to Paris with her husband. Meanwhile, Cole will portray Julie, Rosemary’s vivacious girlfriend.
Bouquet is best known for her role as Bond girl Melina Havelock in For Your Eyes Only, but the French actress has also had major roles in many successful French films since then, including That Obscure Object of Desire and Too Beautiful For You. Meanwhile, Cole played Cassie Hughes in the Sky One supernatural television series Hex and has also popped up in episodes of more recent shows like A&E’s Breakout Kings and FOX’s Human Target.
NBC’s miniseries is intended as a more literal adaptation of Levin’s novel, which took place in Paris and differed significantly from Polanski’s cinematic version. Speaking about the project last year, NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke said that, “The story has been updated and moved to Paris, but it’s faithful to the spirit of Ira Levin’s classic novel. This is a compelling tale wonderfully told.”
The network has good reason to be confident in Rosemary’s Baby. Putting aside the film’s near-iconic reputation amongst horror aficionados, Scott Abbott (Queen of the Damned) has been tapped to collaborate with James Wong (Final Destination, American Horror Story) to write the miniseries. Additionally, Agnieszka Holland (Treme, The Killing) is already locked in to direct all four installments.
Are you excited about the Rosemary’s Baby miniseries? Are you familiar with either Bouquet or Cole and, if so, what do you make of the casting choices? Sound off below!