Disney+ has released a first look at the new adventure series Renegade Nell, starring Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland as a quick-witted swashbuckling highwaywoman.
The series comes from the creator of Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax, Sally Wainwright. The BAFTA-winning screenwriter is often praised for her heroic and ballsy female characters, and it looks like we’ll be seeing more of the same here – although, unusually, with a fantasy twist this time around.
Her latest is Renegade Nell, previously titled The Ballad of Renegade Nell, which is due to come to the streaming site Disney+ on March 29.
Wainwright said: “I can’t wait to bring swashbuckling highwaywoman Nell Jackson to the screen,” in a statement for Lookout Point.
Renegade Nell plot — what is the series about?
The action-packed Eighteenth century drama tells the story of a woman named Nell Jackson, who ends up an outlaw after being accused of a murder she didn't commit. She takes to the road alongside her two younger sisters Roxy and George, when she crosses paths with a plucky, fairy spirit named Billy Blind, played by Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed.
Together they form a motley crew and Nell comes to understand she must uncover the truth, realising that “fate has put her on the wrong side of the law for a reason much bigger than she could’ve ever imagined.” She faces off with her nemesis, the scheming Robert Hennessey, Earl of Poynton, played by Undercover star Adrian Lester, in a bid to save the country and Queen.
Who else is in the cast?
Along with Hartland and Mohammed, newcomers Bo Bragason and Florence Keen play Nell’s sisters with Craig Parkinson as their affable father.
Frank Dillane, The Essex Serpent star plays Charles Devereux, a fickle but charming friend to Nell, with Joely Richardson playing the eccentric newspaper magnate Lady Moggerhanger, decked in all her finery.
The Earl’s squad is joined by Sofia Wilmot, The Sinner’s Alice Kremelberg, a young widow who is hellbent on gaining independence. The Crown’s Pip Torrens plays Lord Blancheford, father to Sofia and her inept brother Thomas, played by Half Bad’s Jake Dunn.
Lastly, The Lazarus Project’s Ényì Okoronkwo stars as Rasselas, a high-spirited stable boy, who joins Nell’s quest, seeking his own freedom .
When is it out and how can you watch it?
Renegade Nell will be available to stream on Disney+ from Friday 29 March 2024. All episodes will be released at once instead of a weekly scheduled release so viewers can kick back, relax and be transported to the epic Regency era fantasy series.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, we’ve popped it at the top of the article.
