Netflix has announced a brand new film is in the works, taking viewers behind the scenes of that infamous Prince Andrew Newsnight interview.
A host of starry names have already been linked to the movie, Scoop, which starts shooting in London later this months.
The movie will feature Sex Education’s Gillian Anderson as journalist Emily Maitlis, who grilled the royal during his shocking interview.
Rufus Sewell will appear as Prince Andrew, with Keeley Hawes cast as Amanda Thirsk, former private secretary to the royal.
Also starring in the highly-anticipated biopic is Doctor Who star Billie Piper, who will appear as Sam McAlister – the producer behind the bombshell interview who went on to write the book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews.
What did Prince Andrew say in the Newsnight interview?
Whilst Prince Andrew had often been questioned over his 20-year friendship with the late billionaire criminal Jeffrey Epstein – who first faced criminal charges in 2006 – it wasn’t until 2019 that the royal found himself facing allegations of his own. A woman named Virginia Giuffre had alleged that Epstein forced her to have sex with the Prince when she was just 17 years old – something the Duke of York has always denied.
In the BBC Newsnight interview broadcast back in November 2019, the royal aimed to clear himself of any wrongdoing associated with Epstein (who had been found dead in his cell just three months prior whilst awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges), as well as deny the allegations against him.
During the interview, Prince Andrew expressed regret over his continued association with Epstein after his 2008 admission of soliciting underage sex. But whilst he regretted continuing his friendship, the royal said he did not regret the friendship itself – saying it led to connections which were ‘actually very useful’ for him.
The royal hit headlines, with many viewers branding his answers 'rambling' and 'contradictory.'
Insisting his innocence, Prince Andrew explained he was at home after attending a children’s party at Pizza Express in Woking.
The royal also responded to a photograph that was shared on social media, featuring the royal posing alongside Giuffre whilst holding his arm around her bare waist. Whilst the picture appeared quite damning to many who saw it, Prince Andrew confirmed that he did recognize himself in the photograph – but not his hand.
He said, ‘We can’t be certain as to whether or not that’s my hand on her whatever it is… left side. Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored, but I don’t recollect that photograph ever being taken.’
Ending his interview, the royal insisted that if he had indeed had sex with the victim, he would remember it. He shared, ‘If you’re a man, it is a positive act to have sex with somebody. You have to take some sort of positive action. And so therefore if you try to forget, it’s very difficult to try and forget a positive action, and I do not remember anything.’
When is Scoop released?
The release date for the feature film hasn't yet been confirmed. However, considering that filming for the biopic will begin in February 2023, it's predicted that the film will land on the streaming platform sometime in 2024.
Scoop will be a huge win for streaming giants Netflix (who are also home to plenty royal bombshells after scoring a multi-year deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, recently publishing hit docu-series Harry & Meghan). Director Philip Martin – who previously worked with leading lady Gillian in hit royal TV series The Crown – addressed his upcoming project, sharing ‘I want to put the audience inside the breathtaking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew – to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections’.
‘It’s a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how – whether in glittering palaces of hi-tech newsrooms – we judge what’s true,’ he added.