Towards Zero Images: New Looks At Agatha Christie BBC Series’ Starry Cast Of Suspects & The Struggling Inspector On Their Case

New images offer a closer look at Towards Zero. The upcoming BBC One series adapts the 1944 Agatha Christie novel of the same name with a robust ensemble cast that includes Anjelica Huston, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Matthew Rhys, Ella Lily Hyland, Jack Farthing, and Anjana Vasan. The original novel centers on the recurring Christie character Superintendent Battle, who is lesser known than her famous detective Hercule Poirot and the iconic Miss Marple, an elderly woman who is an amateur crime-solver. This may be the reason that Battle is not listed in the cast and Rhys' character is instead named Inspector Leach.

Vanity Fair has now shared a collection of first-look images from Towards Zerothat offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the series in addition to showcasing the cast of characters at the center of the mystery. These characters include Jackson-Cohen's tennis star Neville Strange (seen both on the court and caught in between the attentions of two women), Neville's ill but imperious Lady Tressilian (Huston), the disheveled Inspector Leach (Rhys), and more. See the full-size images below:

What This Means For Towards Zero

The Cast Is Well Suited To Their Characters

This new gallery of images showcases how well-matched the stars are with their characters. This is especially true in the case of Lady Tressilian, who lords over the people in her family. This aspect of her character is reinforced by the screen presence of Anjelica Huston, a legend of the screen who is an Oscar winner for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, though she is also known for other roles including the Grand High Witch in The Witches and Morticia Addams in the Addams Family movies from the 1990s.

Anjelica Huston was nominated for two additional Oscars, for 1989's Enemies, A Love Story and 1990's The Grifters.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen's career also echoes that of his character. While he is not a sports star, he is a rising star who has had an increasing number of roles in prominent movies and television shows, including 2018's The Haunting of Hill House and 2020's The Invisible Man and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Meanwhile, Rhys' in-over-his-head inspector allows him an interesting opportunity to break free from the more slick and polished exteriors of characters he has played in the past in shows like The Americans and Perry Mason.

Our Take On The Towards Zero Images

The Story Demands A Solid Cast Of Characters

Lady Tressilian (Huston) sits in her Victorian bed looking solmenly to the sunlight while draped in lavish pajamas. A newspaper rests on top of the bed

The stars’ connections to their characters are important because Towards Zero is based on an Agatha Christie book that, perhaps more than any other, relies on the relationships between its characters to hum with tension. While the story is a whodunit like the rest of her murder mysteries, the interpersonal connections of the characters are integral to both solving a murder and preventing one that has not happened yet.

In the United States and Canada, Towards Zero premieres on BritBox on April 16.

Source: Vanity Fair