Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell Join Cast of TV’s Pillars of the Earth

Broadway veterans Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell have joined the cast of Pillars of the Earth, an eight-hour miniseries based on the bestselling novel by Ken Follett and adapted by playwright John Pielmeier, according to Variety.

The series, to be directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, is about the building of a cathedral in 12th-century England. Pielmeier is best known for writing the play Agnes of God. He has also written such plays as Voices in the Dark and such teleplays as Flowers for Algernon and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.

The cast also includes Donald Sutherland, Matthew Macfadyen, Sarah Parish, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Redmayne, and Gordon Pinsent.

McShane starred on Broadway in the revival of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming; his recent television credits include the series Deadwood and Kings. Sewell starred on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s Rock n’ Roll, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, and starred on the recent CBS series The Eleventh Hour.