Back in November of last year, I talked about this miniseries project based on Ken Follett’s best-seller book Pillars of the Earth. The show’s produced by Tandem Communications, Muse Entertainment and Ridley & Tony Scott’s Scott Free Films, and has been acquired by cable network Starz.

The Pillars of the Earth is a sweeping epic of good and evil, treachery and intrigue, violence and beauty. This sensuous, spirited and passionate story is set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart. In that time, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge.

It’s got a pretty decent budget of $40 million and was shot on location in Hungary and Austria. Last week the first trailer was released (thanks Prairiegirl!):

This looks like a captivating story and I’m a big fan of historical period dramas — medieval or otherwise. It boasts a stellar, mostly-British cast, including Prairiegirl and my favorite Rufus Sewell, which is always a huge plus. Here’s what the British author said on Oprah’s site about the casting: “… Ian McShane as the dark soul Waleran Bigod, who believes he is God’s will; the intense and multifaceted Rufus Sewell as Tom Builder—probably the most popular character I ever wrote. Matthew Macfadyen, who portrays the complex Prior Philip with unrelenting strength; the highly regarded Sarah Parish as the manipulative and dangerous Regan Hamleigh. Then there’s the wonderful young talent: the lovely and truly gifted Hayley Atwell playing our heroine, Aliena and Eddie Redmayne as our hero, Jack … I’ve been looking at footage regularly since Pillars went before the cameras in June 2009, and the cast is so good I can hardly believe it.”

I’m hopeful it lives up to the hype. It’ll arrive in the US sometime in July, looking forward to it!