Alden Ehrenreich’s ‘Brave New World’ Among Originals Ready for Peacock Launch

Will Thorne
·7 min read

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With the coronavirus pandemic forcing production on many scripted and un-scripted series to shutter, there were plenty wondering precisely how many original feathers NBCU’s Peacock would be able to launch with, especially after chairman Matt Strauss said the bulk of the streaming service’s originals slate had been pushed to 2021.

The service has now answered that question, announcing which originals will be available upon its July 15 launch. Headlining the list is the series adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World,” which is set to star “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and “Hail, Caesar!” vet Alden Ehrenreich, “Downton Abbey” alum Jessica Brown Findlay, and Harry Lloyd.

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In addition, subscribers to the new service will be able to watch the first seasons of international thriller “The Capture,” David Schwimmer comedy “Intelligence,” sports documentary “In Deep with Ryan Lochte,” and the feature “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” when the streamer launches.

Peacock is hoping these originals will compliment its substantial library of past programming, which will include classic series like “Parks and Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and “Friday Night Lights.”

“Our variety of Peacock Originals at launch demonstrates how we deliver timely and timeless content – no matter the genre or format,” said Bill McGoldrick, president of original content at Peacock. “We’re proud to establish our voice and are excited to build on our strategy to attract a wide audience to Peacock.”

The full list of Peacock originals ready for launch is as follows:

Drama

Brave New World

Based on Aldous Huxley’s groundbreaking novel, Brave New World imagines a utopian society that has achieved peace and stability through the prohibition of monogamy, privacy, money, family, and history itself. As citizens of New London, Bernard Marx (Harry Lloyd, Game of Thrones, The Theory of Everything) and Lenina Crowne (Jessica Brown Findlay, Winter’s Tale, Downton Abbey) embark on a vacation to the Savage Lands, where they become embroiled in a harrowing and violent rebellion. Bernard and Lenina are rescued by John the Savage (Alden Ehrenreich, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Hail, Caesar!), who escapes with them back to New London. John’s arrival in the New World soon threatens to disrupt its utopian harmony, leaving Bernard and Lenina to grapple with the repercussions.

The Capture

The Capture is a conspiracy thriller that looks at a troubling world of fake news and the extraordinary capabilities of the intelligence services. When soldier Shaun Emery’s (Callum Turner, War & Peace, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) conviction for a murder in Afghanistan is overturned due to flawed video evidence, he returns to life as a free man with his young daughter. But when damning CCTV footage from a night out in London comes to light, Shaun’s life takes a shocking turn and he must soon fight for his freedom once again. Detective Inspector Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger, Strike, Patrick Melrose) is drafted to investigate Shaun’s case, but she quickly learns that the truth can sometimes be a matter of perspective. The Capture also stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hand of God), Famke Janssen (X-Men, Taken), Ben Miles (The Crown, Coupling), Laura Haddock (Transformers: The Last Knight, Guardians of the Galaxy), Lia Williams (The Crown, Kiri), Sophia Brown (Clique, Marcella) and Paul Ritter (Chernobyl, Friday Night Dinner).

Comedy

Intelligence

Intelligence is a workplace comedy set in the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters – a kind of weedier, geekier, more bureaucratic version of MI5 and MI6, where they tackle international and domestic Cyber Crime from a desktop. When a pompous maverick NSA agent Jerry Bernstein (David Schwimmer, American Crime Story, Friends, Band of Brothers) comes over from the U.S. to join the team, he enlists an inept and tactless computer analyst Joseph (Nick Mohammed, The Martian, Ted Lasso, Christopher Robin) in a power grab that threatens to disrupt the team’s ability to combat cyber terrorism.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home

Santa Barbara Police Chief Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson, This Is Us, American Housewife) is ambushed on the job and left for dead. In a vintage Psych-style Hitchcockian nod, he begins to see impossible happenings around his recovery clinic. Shawn (James Roday, A Million Little Things, Psych) and Gus (Dulé Hill, Suits, Psych) return to Lassie’s side in Santa Barbara and are forced to navigate the personal, the professional, and possibly the supernatural. Separated from their new lives in San Francisco, our heroes find themselves unwelcome in their old stomping grounds as they secretly untangle a twisted case without the benefit of the police, their loved ones, or the quality sourdough bakeries of the Bay Area. What they uncover will change the course of their relationships forever. Psych 2 is a full-length film.

Sports

In Deep With Ryan Lochte

At the 2016 Rio Olympics Ryan Lochte (Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing with the Stars) was at the center of a scandal that has since overshadowed a decorated swimming career that includes 12 Olympic medals. Now a 35-year-old husband and father of two young children, Lochte is hoping for one more chance to make Team USA and prove he’s not the same man he was four years ago.

Lost Speedways

Created and hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon, Dale Jr. Download), this series is an exploratory look at great racing cathedrals of the past. Dale Jr. and co-host Matthew Dillner (Dale Jr. Download) tells the stories of speedways that have been forgotten, abandoned, and overtaken by nature. Racing legends join as guests throughout the series.

Kids

Curious George

First introduced to the world of children’s literacy over 75 years ago, Curious George was created by Margret and H.A. Rey in 1941 and remains one of the most beloved children’s classics of all-time. The animated series targets preschool viewers and follows the adventures of everyone’s favorite monkey and his insatiable curiosity to bring delightful antics, gentle humor and heartfelt emotion to each fun-filled episode. With a focus on education, the Emmy award-winning program incorporates early concepts in math, science, technology and engineering and encourages children to use their imagination and expand their own investigations of the world.

Dreamworks Cleopatra in Space

Cleopatra in Space is a comedic adventure focusing on the untold story of Cleopatra’s teenage years. Viewers can follow Cleo (Lilimar Hernandez, Bella and the Bulldogs, Knight Squad) as she is transported 30,000 years into the future, to an Egyptian-themed planet that is ruled by talking cats and where she discovers she is the prophesied savior of the future world. In order to prepare for her role and mission, Cleo is sent to an elite academy where she has to train to take on the bad guys, figure out how to eventually get herself back home to Egypt, as well as tackling the highs and lows of being a teenager in high school.

Dreamworks Where’s Waldo?

Twelve-year-old Waldo (Joshua Rush, The Lion Guard, Andi Mack) and his best friend Wenda (Haley Tju, Bella and the Bulldogs) are members of the Worldwide Wanderer Society—the international order of curious travelers who circle the globe celebrating cultures and solving problems through observation. Their mentor—Wizard Whitebeard (Thomas Lennon, The State; Reno 911: The Odd Couple), a seasoned wanderer—sends these inquisitive young adventurers on international travel missions so they can earn their stripes and someday become wizard-level wanderers too. But standing in Waldo and Wenda’s way is their rival Odlulu (Eva Carlton, Little), who can’t help but cause trouble wherever she goes.

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