Disney Plus doing Jilly Cooper's Rivals

[countrylifer]

This is just the best news. I've been waiting for an adaptation of Rivals since I first fell in love with the bounder Rupert C-B in circa 1997.

But the question is who will play him? I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who can fill those boots - any suggestions?

My loins are girded.

Rupert Penry- Jones as RCB unless he's too old? Also, EXCITED

he cant be late 30s, Taggie and patrick are late teens/early twentys plus he talks about maude going thru menopause at the same time caitlin is hitting puberty

I would love him as well, I've always pictured him as RCB. Loved him when he popped up in Casanova a few years back😉

Rupert Penry Jones would have been perfect but I also wonder if he’s a bit old now. He’s actually who I kind of picture when I read it though and I also picture a young Liam Neeson as Declan.
Oh god they’d better not fuck it up but I bet they will. Typically I cannot watch TV adaptations of books I love (I’m looking at you Anne of Green Gables) especially older ones as there’s a LOT in the Jilly books that won’t wash these days.
I would love Matthew MacFayden in there somewhere - and maybe Anthony Stewart Head too.

I really hope they make a better job of dramatising it than they did for Riders!! The only decent casting in that was Anthony Calf as Billy - the guy playing RCB was nowhere near how I had imagined him, even Michael Praed couldn't make the stilted dialogue work. They also made some huge mistakes in the equestrian bits - trying to make it look like they were jumping massive fences by using slow-mo to disguise the fact they were only about 3ft high! And wearing chaps back to front!

I've just got the DVD of The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, it's very bad but highly enjoyable.

I wonder if it'll be modernised or set in the time it was written.

Anthony stuart head could maybe play malise?

EXCELLENT NEWS!

I’ll be ready for the release date; do Disney Plus put all episodes out at the same time? Obviously I’ll have to sign up for it but I need to know whether to book one or eight days off work to enjoy it properly!

Oh and surely there is a role of Daniel Craig here?!

Oh YES he would be fab!

Has anyone else seen the TV show Foundation? Lee Pace is beautiful, and plays a part that shows he could totally be RCB.

Omg!!!!!!!!!! What absolutely marvellous news :)

Imagine - someone actually has the job of casting this masterpiece. I’ve never wanted a job more.

Riders was so awful - such a waste of an adaptation. I hope the big budget Disney Plus will have will put Rivals in a different league with the cast and production

I knew there would be a MN thread about this! They’d better not mess it up.

<drenches self in Fracas and trims fringe with bacon scissors in anticipation>

Imagine the pressure though 😱

This has made my week, I can't even think of who would suit RCB but he needs to be utterly devastating! I always imagined him as a taller younger Daniel Craig, ooooh, the possibilities..

@chipsandpeas Patrick is 21, Taggie 17 and Caityn 14 I think.

It’s set in 1986 which makes Maud 44 I think (from her little clothes trying on session with amizing grace)

This has made my day. But I’m also petrified they will fuck it up!!

Declan is 42, it’s mentioned somewhere in the text.

Tom Hardy as Tony?

I could see a younger Angelina Jolie as Cameron

I always struggle with Taggie - sometimes she’s described as gorgeous and other times “not a great beauty” wtf?!

Tom Hardy as Tony isn’t a bad idea actually.

I hope they don’t remove the more ‘problematic’ elements. It has to be full-on unreconstructed 80s bonkbuster, not watered down for a modern audience.