Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell to Star in New Film About Prince Andrew's Bombshell BBC Interview

In November 2019, Prince Andrew talked at length about his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein on BBC's Newsnight — leading to his step down from royal duties

Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell. Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage; JC Olivera/WireImage

Netflix's movie on Prince Andrew's bombshell 2019 interview with the BBC about his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has announced their cast.

On Tuesday, Netflix revealed the four actors who will star in Scoop, the upcoming film by screenwriter Peter Moffat about Prince Andrew's sit-down with BBC Newsnight anchor Emily Maitlis, which lead to the royal stepping down from his public duties.

Gillian Anderson, who won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for playing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown, will play Maitlis, the BBC host who conducted the interview.

"Very excited to get started!" the actress tweeted following the casting announcement.

In the part of Prince Andrew will be Rufus Sewell, known for his roles in The Illusionist, A Knight's Tale and The Man in the High Castle.

Keeley Hawes will portray Amanda Thirsk, Prince Andrew's private secretary at the time, while Billie Piper will play Sam McAlister, the producer who negotiated Andrew's booking and wrote the memoir Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews, on which the upcoming film is based.

The film will follow "how the BBC's Newsnight team got the scoop, then the actual filming of it," Moffat previously told Deadline. "The other thing is, 'Why did he agree to do it?' "

"How was it that he decided it was a good idea to do a great big long interview with Emily Maitlis on the BBC?" Moffat continued.

Prince Andrew’s BBC interview. BBC/Mark Harrison

Scoop will give viewers "the inside track on the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of the queen's 'favorite son,'" according to the film's logline. That includes everything from "navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew's inner circle, the high-stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal — to the jaw-dropping interview itself."

Philip Martin, a British television director and screenwriter who worked on The Crown, will direct the project.

"I want to put the audience inside the breathtaking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew — to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections," Martin told Netflix. "It's a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how — whether in glittering palaces or high-tech newsrooms — we judge what's true."

Gillian Anderson and Emily Maitlis. Mike Marsland/WireImage; Darren Gerrish/WireImage

Recorded inside the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew opened up about his links to Epstein for the first time, speaking out about his relationship with the disgraced millionaire and allegations that he had sex with Virginia Roberts (now Virginia Giuffre) when she was 17.

Soon after "Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview" aired, Prince Andrew released a statement announcing his decision to "step back from public duties." He was stripped of his military titles and patronages by Queen Elizabeth in Jan. 2022 amid Giuffre's civil sexual assault lawsuit, in which she alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the royal on three occasions between 1999 and 2002 when she was a teenager. An out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount was reached in February.

Rufus Sewell and Prince Andrew. Todd Williamson/Getty for Amazon Studios; Eamonn McCormack/Getty

Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.

Although he is no longer a working royal, Prince Andrew has joined his family on occasions such as Queen Elizabeth's funeral events and their annual Christmas Day church outing.