Prolific film producer Harvey Weinstein was among the TV critics Wednesday at press tour to help promote the upcoming four night, eight-hour mini-series adaptation of Tolstoy’s epic “War and Peace” for A&E Networks.
The production shot over six months in Lithuania, Latvia and Russia stars Golden Globe nominee Paul Dano, Lily James of “Downton Abbey” and “Cinderella,” James Norton of “Happy Valley” as well as Gillian Anderson and Jim Broadbent.
“‘War & Peace’ is only the second scripted project we’ve ever launched,” A&E chief Rob Sharenow says. And as such, it will premiere over all of its channels — A&E, Lifetime and History on Jan. 18 and show over consecutive Mondays.
“We really feel like it deserves and merits that kind of platform,” Sharenow says. “It’s really spectacular.”
For Weinstein, it’s something he’s wanted to do for a long time.
“This was my favorite novel. I was 12 years old and my right eye got blasted in an accident, and we were playing cowboys and Indians. I was the victim. I went next door — I couldn’t go to school. I had knocked on my next-door neighbor’s, who was a librarian. She started me reading, and this was a great triumph to me: getting through ‘War & Peace’ and loving it at an early age,” he said. “ So I pursued this.”
Weinstein credits Andrew Davies (“Bleak House”) for bringing out TV ready drama of the famously lengthy classic.
The two had worked together previously, he said. “He did a draft of ‘Bridget Jones,’ which was very good, and Richard Curtis also did a draft, so. We sort of combined the both of them. But I loved working with Andrew. He makes ‘War & Peace’ sexy.”
He credits producer Faith Penhale with getting Davies on board. “These actors,” he added, “I can take the blame for.”
The result was a co-production with the BBC where the production has already appeared. But Weinstein credited A&E for “being involved from day one,” he said. “They were amazing. They let you have the freedoms that you need to have. They were really supportive.”
War & Peace” is worth its six hours, Weinstein said, because “there’s so many great character arcs. It’s so cinematic, the way Tolstoy wrote, and the way Andrew interpreted it. Each one of these characters go through a complete metamorphosis, which is great, you know, juicy parts for actors.
“I think today, with premium television, you can’t do ‘War & Peace’ in four hours. We’re lucky we did it in as many hours as we did it in. And just a big epic story.”
It’s one that may inspire more people into tackling the book.
“I think you’re going to see kids and schools and everything putting this on the curriculum. I think this will inspire a whole new generation,” Weinstein says.
“What I think this series will do is make people read the book, just the way I read it, when I was a kid.”
But maybe not with one bad eye.
“War & Peace” starts Jan. 18 and runs consecutive Mondays on A&E, Lifetime and History.