Imagine this, but with a pipe.
Rowan Atkinson will indeed be playing Georges Simenon’s intuitive Parisian detective Jules Maigret in two new 2-hour films for ITV: Maigret Sets a Trap and Maigret’s Dead Man. (I mentioned a rumour in May last year)
‘I have been a devourer of the Maigret novels for many years and I’m very much looking forward to playing such an intriguing character, at work in Paris during a fascinating period in its history.’
As is usual for TV adaptations, the new series will be set in the 1950s.
I think Atkinson in serious mode will do a pretty good job of this, as does John Simenon:
‘Maigret has been part of our family for almost nine decades, and we are bringing together one of the best-known characters in world literature with one of the greatest international stars. I have no doubt my father, like me, would have approved of Rowan’s casting and been very excited to see him inhabit his most renowned creation.’
Full coverage at the Guardian.
Past Offences: Classic crime, thrillers and mystery book reviews 
I remain to be convinced…..
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It is amazing to think that some 80 plus years since the first screen adaptation of Maigret that there is still currency in the character. I would never have thought of this casting – let’s hope it works – frankly, the Michael Gambon version turned out to be pretty dull, and the casting there was pretty ideal!
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“Imagine this, but with a pipe.”
I can’t do this. Whenever I see his face, I am reminded of Mr. Bean and I start laughing !
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Oh, this is good news! My guess is it’ll work very well. I can already imagine Atkinson in the part. He’s no dummy, and doesn’t have to be Mr Bean in everything he does.
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I can’t imagine it! Can’t wait to see it though.
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Will Sid and Inspector Sullivan be in series 3 because they are really good actors ?
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Hard for me to imagine, to be honest…
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I think that he can do it. Back in the 90s he did an episode of an anthology series for the BBC called HEROES AND VILLAINS, where he played glamorous 20’s racing driver Sir Tim Birkin. For that hour he totally became that dashing, devil-may-care character, with not a glimmer of any of his comedy roles. It will be fascinating to see his take on Maigret.
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The casting surprises me, but I am willing to watch and see how it goes.
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I think performers primarily known for being comedians always surprise people when they tackle dramatic roles. Robin Williams is perhaps a good and fairly recent example of a performer beign good at two extremes of the acting spectrum. THE FISHER KING, GOOD WILL HUNTING and — IMO, his best performance– DEAD POETS SOCIETY are perfect examples of his dramatic chops. But you can go back to Ed Wynn, Milton Berle, Phil Silvers, and Jackie Gleason (who could be deeply profound and poignant) and find some impressive dramatic parts on their resumes. Steve Martin pulled it off a couple of times, too. I was all ready to jump on this and mock him, but I’m sure Atkinson is going to surprise everyone. Based solely on his versatile work in Blackadder I know he is an accomplished character actor, not just a farcical comedian.
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