Weinstein acquires BBC’s Esio Trot

The Weinstein Company (TWC) has picked up US rights to the BBC’s forthcoming adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, starring Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench.

TWC has secured all rights in the US, except theatrical, in a deal with Red Arrow International, which is handling the global distribution of the one-off drama.

Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot will star Hoffman as a retired bachelor who harbours a secret passion for his neighbour, to be played by Dench, who only has time for her pet tortoise, with his attempts to catch her attention frequently ending in disaster.

The adaptation has been written by Oscar nominee Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually) and Paul Mayhew-Archer (The Vicar of Dibley). Red Arrow’s Endor Productions began work on the drama earlier this year.

The drama was commissioned by BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore last year and has also been acquired by German broadcaster ARD.