Bad Wolf to produce epic Bernard Cornwell drama

Bad Wolf has confirmed it is working on a major new adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles, to be delivered as a 10-part series called The Winter King. 

It is the first major new drama commission for the company since joining Sony Pictures Television, and is anticipated to be a returning series working from the original trilogy by Cornwell.

Filming takes place this year in Wales and the West Country. 

Portraying a revisionist take on the well-loved Arthurian legends, the series follows Arthur Pendragon as he evolves from outcast son to legendary warrior and leader. The Winter King is set in the 5th century, long before Britain was united, in a land of warring factions and tribes when the world was brutal and lives were often fleeting.

Kate Brooke and Ed Whitmore are adapting the original novels with Otto Bathurst on board as lead director. Bad Wolf produces in association with One Big Picture, with international distribution being handled by Sony Pictures Television.

Bad Wolf – known for hefty returning dramas including His Dark Materials (pictured) and A Discovery of Witches, among others - has considerably raised Wales’ profile as a large-scale international production hub. 

The company established its own major filming facility, Wolf Studios Wales, near Cardiff, and is now the long-term tenant of what was previously known as Pinewood Studio Wales. 

Bad Wolf has several projects in development currently and is about to start filming on the second series of I Hate Suzie, starring Billie Piper. It is also now heavily involved in the physical production side of the BBC behemoth that is Doctor Who.