The story behind Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview is being adapted for the big screen, it has been revealed.
Back in 2019, the Duke of York sat down with Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis to discuss his prior relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as allegations of sexual misconduct that had been levelled against the royal.
The interview was immediately branded a “car crash” after it aired, and it’s now now been reported by Deadline that it has served as the inspiration for a new film.
Based on former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister’s new book Scoops – which explores the back stories of some of the BBC’s most high-profile interviews ever – the new movie will dive into how the Prince Andrew Newsnight special came to be.
Per Deadline, screenwriter Peter Moffat said the film would explore “how the BBC’s Newsnight team got the scoop, then the actual filming of it”.
“The other thing is, ‘why did he agree to do it?’,” he added. “How was it that he decided it was a good idea to do a great big long interview with Emily Maitlis on the BBC?”
According to the US outlet, the casting process has not begun, although they have named Hugh Grant as being among the stars on producers’ “wish list” to portray Prince Andrew.
Following his disastrous Newsnight appearance, the prince stepped back from his royal duties for the “foreseeable future”.
He was later stripped of his military titles and royal patronages in January 2022, a move that was supported by Queen Elizabeth and Andrew himself.
Back in February, Andrew and his accuser Virginia Guiffre reached a settlement in the sexual assault lawsuit that had been filed against him. Prior to this, Andrew had always denied the allegations.