‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ TV Series at HBO Casts Theo James and Rose Leslie to Lead

February 28, 2021

The Time Traveler's Wife TV Series

Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling sci-fi romance novel The Time Traveler’s Wife was already turned into a movie starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in 2009. Now HBO is letting former Doctor Who showrunner and writer Steven Moffat take a crack at adapting the novel into a TV series, and the show has finally landed on its two stars.

Divergent franchise co-star Theo James and Game of Thrones supporting actress Rose Leslie are taking the lead roles in The Time Traveler’s Wife TV series, which will tell the story of a couple whose love is both sparked and plagued by time travel.

Published in 2006, here’s the official synopsis for The Time Traveler’s Wife:

Clare and Henry have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was 36. They were married when Clare was 23 and Henry was 31. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

Clare and Henry’s story unfolds from both points of view, depicting the effects of time travel on their marriage and their passionate love for each other. They attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals: steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

The casting news was announced by Variety. In addition to his role in the Divergent franchise, Theo James has also appeared in a couple Underworld movies and voiced characters in both The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and the animated Castlevania. Personally, I think his performances have always left something more to be desired, with his delivery always feeling rather stilted and without much emotion. But perhaps he just hasn’t been given the right role to show off his range.

Meanwhile, Rose Leslie is probably best known for her role as Ygritte across multiple seasons of Game of Thrones. She delivered the famous line, “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” and she’s also appeared in shows like Downton Abbey and The Good Fight. Her big screen roles include The Last Witch Hunter and Morgan. Leslie feels like a solid choice to play Clare, though it’ll be tough to measure up to the work Rachel McAdams put in for the feature film adaptation. Hopefully she can make the character her own.

The Time Traveler’s Wife TV series will be written by Steven Moffat, who will also executive produce with Sue Vertue and Brian Minchin. Hartswood Films is producing the series in association with Warner Bros. Television. It’s not clear when production will begin, but we’ll keep you posted.

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