The First Look At 'The Beast Must Die' Reveals The Series' Major Changes

With a new craving for prestige BBC-level content in America, the BBC has been going back to the well to revive older classics. In 2020, that brought viewers Black Narcissus, an update on the novel turned hit film from the mid-20th century. Though it stayed a minor hit on streaming over on FX on Hulu, AMC hopes the model works for them with its latest acquisition, The Beast Must Die. Based on the 1938 novel of the same name written by author Cecil Day-Lewis under the name Nicholas Blake, this mystery crime thriller looks like it could be a stunner.

The original novel is a mystery story within a mystery story. Driven mad with grief over his son's hit-and-run death, crime writer Frank Cairns plots "the perfect murder" to kill the man responsible. But as he infiltrates the life of his planned victim, the target in question is suddenly found dead, and worse, all signs point to Cairns, who insists he is innocent. Now the man who spent his life coming up with plans to kill people has to solve his own, with the help of private detective Nigel Strangeways, who a friend calls in to prove Cairn's innocence.

As adapted by Gaby Chiappe, whose credits include The Level and Vera, the series has made several significant changes from book to screen. For one thing, Frances Cairns is no longer a mystery writer nor a man. The show stars Cush Jumbo as the lead role, now a grieving mother, alongside BAFTA winner Jared Harris. (Harris has joked he only landed the role because Daniel Day-Lewis, son of the novel's original author, turned it down.) Billy Howle, Nathaniel Parker, and Geraldine James will co-star

The new synopsis reads as follows:

The series, based on the novel by Nicholas Blake, centers on a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she thinks murdered her son.

Check out the first clip from the new series.