Castle Rock Entertainment Partners with British Comedian John Cleese for Revival of "Fawlty Towers"
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- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Tuesday, 07 February 2023 10:46
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
Castle Rock Entertainment announced a deal with Academy Award and Emmy nominated actor, writer, and producer John Cleese, to revive the classic television series "Fawlty Towers," with Cleese and his daughter Camilla Cleese set to write and star.
The acclaimed show was ranked first by the British Film Institute in their 100 Greatest British Television Programmes list in 2000, and in 2019, Radio Times named it the greatest ever British TV sitcom based on a panel of comedy experts. Matthew George (Wind River, A Private War), Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning actor, director, producer Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, and Derrick Rossi are executive producing the series for Castle Rock Television, which is developing the project.
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"Fawlty Towers" originally ran in two seasons of six episodes each that were broadcasted in 1975 and 1979. The series followed the unfortunate exploits of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) as he struggled to keep his hotel and marriage afloat. The series currently airs on BBC 2 and is also available to stream on BritBox.
The new series will explore how the over-the-top, cynical, and misanthropic Basil Fawlty navigates the modern world. With plot details largely under wraps, the series will explore the relationship between Basil and a daughter he has just discovered he had, as the two tempt fate, and team up to run a boutique hotel.
John Cleese said, "What I like about Matt is that, unlike many producers, he really 'gets' the creative process. When we first met, he offered an excellent first idea, and then Matt, my daughter Camilla, and I had one of the best creative sessions I can remember. By dessert we had an overall concept so good that, a few days later, it won the approval of Rob and Michele Reiner. Camilla and I look forward enormously to expanding it into a series."
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Rob Reiner said, "John Cleese is a comedy legend. Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh."
"Meeting John and Camilla was one of the great thrills of my life. I'm obsessed with Fawlty Towers and the legendary characters he created," said George. "I've watched the first two seasons so many times I have lost count. I dreamed of one day being involved in a continuation of the story. Now it's come true."
Outside of the classic British TV series "Fawlty Towers," Oscar nominee Cleese is best known for his work in comedy troupe Monty Python, whose show "Monty Python and the Flying Circus" and films Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life are beloved cult classics. Cleese is also known for movies such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he was nominated for a Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Oscar, and his appearances in the Shrek and James Bond franchises.
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John Cleese is represented by CAA and Anonymous Content. Camilla Cleese is repped by Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin.
Castle Rock Entertainment recently announced the sequel to the 1984 cult classic This Is Spinal Tap, and the sequel to the 2017 award-winning crime drama Wind River: The Next Chapter directed by Kari Skogland with Martin Sensmeier set to reprise his role as Chip Hanson. Production on Wind River: The Next Chapter is slated to start in March.
About Castle Rock Entertainment
Castle Rock Entertainment relaunched its film division in October 2021 with a $175MM film fund which will allow the company to develop, produce and finance quality films for global audiences. Academy Award® Nominated director, writer and producer Rob Reiner co-founded the company in 1987 and is the Castle Rock CEO, with Michele Reiner and Matthew George serving as Co-Presidents.
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The iconic and beloved banner has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. on theatrical content in addition to their existing deal with Castle Rock television productions. Castle Rock has produced more than 125 films including When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, In the Line of Fire, City Slickers, Miss Congeniality, The American President and The Shawshank Redemption. Castle Rock also produced one of the most successful comedy series in history, "Seinfeld."
