World Without End, follow-up to medieval period drama, will air later this year, as will TV adaptation of Kate Mosse's Labyrinth

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Channel 4 has acquired World Without End, the follow-up to medieval drama The Pillars of the Earth, and the TV adaptation of Kate Mosse's historical thriller Labyrinth, starring John Hurt and Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown-Findlay.

The broadcaster has acquired the UK TV rights to World Without End, the adaptation of author Ken Follett's sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, which stars Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon, Miranda Richardson and Spooks's Peter Firth.

The eight-part mini-series, produced by Tandem Communications and Take 5 Productions, is set in the same fictitious English town as The Pillars of the Earth, Kingsbridge, but 150 years later, featuring the descendants of some characters from the earlier story.

World Without End is a co-production with Galafilm and is being made in association with Ridley and Tony Scott's Scott Free Films. It is directed by Michael Caton-Jones, director of Rob Roy and Shooting Dogs.

Labyrinth, developed from Mosse's French-set thriller from the Dan Brown school of grail quests and secret societies, features a cast including Harry Potter star Tom Felton and Vanessa Kirby, whose credits include The Hour and Great Expectations.

The adaptation, also by Tandem, has been scripted by My Week With Marilyn and Primeval writer Adrian Hodges.

Both shows will air on Channel 4 later this year.

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