Produced by the Oscar winning director, and available on Audible, the adaptation of the Dickens’ classic is released today.
It stars an impressive list of actors including Brian Cox, Nicola Coughlan, Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, Emilio Villa-Muhammad, Kit Connor, Paapa Essiedu, Julia Davis, Nick Mohammed, Patricia Allison and Diane Morgan.
The much-loved classic story of Oliver, played by Emilio Villa-Muhammad, tells of his hard life in the 19th Century workhouse and being evicted asking for more food. He finds a whole new life with a gang of young pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger (Elijah Wolf) and their guardian Fagin (Brian Cox).
Brian Cox said: “Dickens’ was a genius storyteller and Oliver Twist may be his greatest ever work. Reimagining a character as complex and changeable as Fagin offers a real challenge for an actor, and I hope listeners enjoy our telling of this masterpiece.”
Nicola Coughlan said: “It was delighted to be asked to play such a seminal role. When I read the script, it struck me that this adaptation gave the character of Nancy more depth and nuance. I hope everyone at home gets all the feels as they come with us on her journey.”
Daniel Kaluuya said: “There are few villains as infamous or terrifying as Bill Sikes, and I really enjoyed getting the chance to record a new take on him for Audible. Keep the lights on – some of his scenes are really dark.”
Sam Mendes said: “Dickens was the ultimate storyteller, and hearing Oliver Twist come to life in such a compelling, 3D way feels exactly how he might have wanted it to be experienced. The cast is fantastic, and I’ve never heard an audio production before that is so filmic. It’s cinema for the ears.”
This release marks the first in a trilogy of Audible Original adaptations of Charles Dickens classics produced by Oscar winning director Sam Mendes, with the next title to be released next year.
Oliver Twist is available from today exclusively on Audible.
