The Ink Factory’s Simon Cornwell, Sandeep Modi On Hindi Adaptation Of ‘The Night Manager’ & Potential For Second Season

deadline.com:

The Hindi adaptation of UK mini-series The Night Manager, based on the John Le Carre novel, is shaping up to be one of the most highly-anticipated shows in a busy Indian web series season.

Produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia for Disney+ Hotstar, the show is set to start streaming on February 17. Sandeep Modi, who is on board as director and showrunner of the Hindi version, with Priyanka Ghosh as co-director, has creatively helmed the project and tell Deadline of an ambition is to shoot a second season in India. “I keep joking with Simon [Cornwell, Le Carre’s son and co-CEO of The Ink Factory] that we’ll make season two before you do and you can use that for the English version,” says Modi.

The first adaptation of the novel, for BBC and AMC back in 2016, was a ratings hit and rumors of a second run have continued ever since without an official announcement.

Le Carre passed away in December 2020. While a second Indian season has so far not been commissioned by Disney+ Hotstar, Cornwell says he’s open to the idea: “I would love to see a season two of The Night Manager in India.” Further seasons of British scripted formats in India are not without precedent: Disney+ Hotstar’s Criminal Justice has run to three seasons despite Peter Moffat’s original legal thriller for the BBC running for just two in 2008-2009. ‘Like touching an electric wire’ In the new Night Manager, Anil Kapoor plays the role of an international arms dealer, played by Hugh Laurie in the original, while Aditya Roy Kapur plays the character who infiltrates his circle, played by Tom Hiddleston in the original.