Streamingtjenesten SkyShowtime offentliggør nu de allerførste billeder fra den kommende originalserie The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Miniserien er baseret på den internationale bestseller af Heather Morris, og den lanceres eksklusivt på streamingtjenesten i juni.
I hovedrollerne ses Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, The Irishman), Melanie Lynskey (The Last of Us), Jonah Hauer-King, Anna Próchniak og Jonas Nay. Soundtracket er komponeret af ingen ringere end Hans Zimmer (Inception, Interstellar) og Kara Talve (Faraway Downs), mens Tali Shalom-Ezer sidder i instruktørstolen.
Serien på seks afsnit er inspireret af den virkelige historie om Lale (Hauer-King/Keitel) og Gita Sokolov (Próchniak), som mødtes, mens de var fanger i koncentrationslejren Auschwitz-Birkenau under nazisternes Holocaust.
Den unge slovakiske jøde Lale Sokolov (Jonah Hauer-King) blev i 1942 deporteret til Auschwitz-Birkenau – den forfærdelige koncentrationslejr, hvor over en million jøder blev myrdet under Anden Verdenskrig.
Kort efter ankomsten til Birkenau blev han udpeget som en af lejrens officielle Tätowierer (tatovører) med det pinefulde job at tatovere fangernes ID-nummer på hver enkelt krigsfanges arm.
En dag møder han Gita, og det er gensidig kærlighed ved første blik.
Det er begyndelsen på en modig, uforglemmelig og dybt menneskelig historie. Under konstant opsyn af SS-officeren Baretzki (Jonas Nay) beslutter Lale og Gita, at de vil holde ud, klare sig gennem helvede sammen og holde hinanden i live.
Omkring 60 år senere møder enkemanden Lale (Keitel) forfatteren Heather Morris (Lynskey) – som han fortæller sin utrolige livshistorie til.
Den udøvende producer Claire Mundell fortæller i pressemeddelelsen om castingprocessen:
We knew from the beginning that we wanted Jonah to play Young Lale. Once Jonah was on board, the challenge was on to find the perfect Gita. Anna was the most wonderful discovery for us during the casting process.
To have Harvey join us is a dream come true. The commitment and authenticity with which Harvey approached the portrayal of Lale was breathtaking to watch. It was important that both young and old Lale were played authentically by Jewish actors.
We began developing this story five years ago and I was struck by how the book became a bestseller during a timme when awareness of the Holocaust was in decline. It is a story that is as important today as it ever was.
Instruktør Tali Shalom-Ezer uddyber:
Claire and I talked about what a huge challenge it was going to be to make viewers believe in a love story that existed in this dark place and time. This was the task that I as director, Claire, Jacquelin and our team took upon ourselves, and I pray that we will be able to make viewers around the world believe in the wonderful love story of Lale and Gita.
Serien får international streamingpremiere i juni i år.
