David Tennant to Star in Around the World in 80 Days TV Adaptation

No matter where on Earth you put him, David Tennant will charm the people who live there. So it makes sense that the Doctor Who and Good Omens star has been tapped to star as Phileas Fogg in a TV adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel Around the World in 80 Days. Deadline reports that an eight-part series is in the works from British production company Slim Film + Television.

Around the World in 80 Days, first published in France in 1872, tells the story of eccentric adventurer Phileas Fogg and his attempt to circumnavigate the globe in less than three months alongside his French valet Passepartout. In this adaptation, Passepartout will be played by Ibrahim Koma. They’ll be joined by another companion, aspiring journalist Abigail Fix (The Crown‘s Leonie Benesch), who jumps at the chance to report on the extraordinary journey.

Filming is scheduled to begin in February 2020 and will principally take place in South Africa and Romania. It’s projected to premiere in late 2020. No American network has been attached to the international co-production, but it will air on the BBC in the U.K.

Around the World in 80 Days has been adapted numerous times. The most recent movie was in 2004, with Steve Coogan as Fogg and Jackie Chan as Passepartout. The most recent miniseries adaptation was in 1989 with Pierce Brosnan as Fogg and Eric Idle as Passepartout.

David TennantPhoto: David M. Benett, Dave Benett/WireImage