MGM+ has just announced key casting and the start of production for their upcoming limited series Belgravia: The Next Chapter. The series will serve as a sequel to the 2020 historical drama Belgravia, which aired in 2020. No release date has yet been announced for the new series, however, it is expected to premiere in the winter of 2023. The series will consist of eight episodes.
Belgravia: The Next Chapter picks up in 1871, three decades after the events of the original 2020 limited series. The limited series was written by Julian Fellowes, the man behind Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age. Belgravia: The Next Chapter was developed and written by playwright and screenwriter Helen Edmundson.
The series will tell a love story, centering on Frederick Trenchard, the third Lord Trenchard, and his love interest Clara Dunn, who is new to the often abrasive world of London high society. Having grown up in the upper ranks of society, Frederick is unaware that his birth is the product of an affair between his mother, Susan, and the rake, John Bellasis. Having endured a troubled childhood, Frederick has been left deeply insecure, which proves to be a challenge in his evolving relationship with Clara. The series also dives into the intriguing and chaotic world of Belgravia, a London neighborhood known for its ultra-wealthy residents.
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Who Will Star in the Sequel Series?
Ben Wainwright will play Frederick Trenchard. He has previously starred in Sky Atlantic’s Gangs of London. Starring opposite Wainwright is Harriet Slater as Clara Trenchard (previously Dunn). Previously, Slater previously played Sandra Onslow in the HBO Max DC origin series Pennyworth. Other stars of the upcoming series include Toby Regbo, who plays Reverand James Trenchard, Frederick's estranged brother, and Hannah Onslow as Emily Dunn, Clara's sister who is more than a little jealous of her successful marriage. When Emily meets Reverend James Trenchard, she finds herself to be instantly attracted to him.
Sophie Thompson will play Mrs. Dunn, Emily, and Clara's jittery and anxious widow mother. Sophie Winkleman will play Duchess of Rochester, the woman at the top of Belgravia's cut-throat social hierarchy, and Claude Perron will play The Marquise D’Étagnac, a glamorous French businesswoman.
Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant will serve as executive producers on the series along with with Julian Fellowes and Joanna Strevens. Helen Edmundson serves as showrunner and executive producer on the limited series. The series will be directed by John Alexander, Paul Wilmshurst, and Marisol Adler. Colin Wratten will return as producer, having also produced 2020's Belgravia.
