Bodyguard star Tom Brooke will play assassinated Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in Lucy Prebble’s new play.
A Very Expensive Poison will open at the Old Vic in August, and is based on Luke Harding's 2016 investigative book.
Brooke will star alongside MyAnna Buring, who takes on the role of Litvinenko’s wife, Marina. The 15-strong cast also includes Reece Shearsmith, Michael Shaeffer and Lloyd Hutchinson.
Brooke was last seen on stage in Berberian Sound Studio at the Donmar Warehouse, and counts Game of Thrones and Sherlock among his screen credits; Buring is known for roles in Downton Abbey and Ripper Street.
It will be Prebble’s first play since The Effect, which opened at the National Theatre in 2012 and starred Billie Piper. She has recently been part of the writing team behind HBO drama Succession.
The production will be directed by John Crowley, who directed the upcoming film adaptation of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch. It will be designed by Tom Scutt.
A Very Expensive Poison opens on August 20 and runs until October 5.
