Call The Midwife’s Jenny Agutter set to reprise her role in The Railway Children sequel – 50 years after original as Sheridan Smith and Tom Courtenay join the new cast
Call The Midwife star Jenny Agutter is set to reprise her role in The Railway Children sequel – over 50 years after starring in the original film.
The actress, 68, was just 16 when she played Bobbie Waterbury in the 1968 BBC series, before going on to star in the 1970 film version at 18-years-old.
Jenny will star in the rebooted version, named The Railway Children Return, alongside Sheridan Smith and Tom Courtenay, with Sheridan excitedly tweeting about her new role on Thursday.
Back again: Call The Midwife star Jenny Agutter is set to reprise her role in The Railway Children sequel – over 50 years after starring in the original film
Retweeting an announcement by Stiudio Canal, the actress, 39, penned: ‘So excited to announce my next filming job! Starting this month…’
Studio Canal’s tweeted read: ‘All aboard!
‘We’re delighted to announce cameras are rolling on The Railway Children Return, a sequel to one of the most beloved British family films of all time (pictured – credit: Studiocanal/The Railway Children 1970).
Jenny, Sheridan, Tom and a new generation of railway children will appear in the sequel which is set to hit UK cinemas April 1st 2022.
Return: Jenny will star in the rebooted version, named The Railway Children Return, alongside Sheridan Smith and Tom Courtenay, with Sheridan excitedly tweeting about her new role on Thursday
The iconic Keighley & Worth Valley Railway from the original film will also feature.
Shooting on The Railway Children Return began recently, led by Bafta-winning director Morgan Matthews. The film is due in cinemas on 1 April 2022.
The original film was based on the novel by E Nesbit about three children who are shipped off to live in the country beside a railway line after their father is arrested on mysterious spying charges.
Agutter played the eldest child in a 1968 TV adaptation, followed by the film two years later. She also played the mother in an ITV remake in 2000.
Now 68, in recent years she has played Sister Julienne in the BBC’s Call the Midwife.
Big Role: The actress, 68, known for playing Sister Julienne in Call The Midwife, was just 16 when she played Bobbie Waterbury in the 1968 BBC series, before going on to star in the 1970 film version at 18-years-old.
The 1970 film became a massive hit and earned three Bafta nominations. It currently holds a “100% fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 critics’ review.
The sequel will follow a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during World War Two, where they encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far from home.
Tom Courtenay will also appear, with the script by Danny Brocklehurst, whose credits include TV shows like Brassic, Accused, Clocking Off and Shameless.
The Railway Children Return arrives more than half a century after the original – but that’s not the longest gap between movies.
That honour goes to Bambi II, which arrived 63 years after Walt Disney’s animated classic.
It’s not the only Disney movie to have a long wait between instalments. Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, for example, were separated by 59 years, 11 US presidents and one World War.
Other long-gestating sequels include The Return To Oz, which was released 46 years after The Wizard Of Oz; and Blade Runner 2049, which took 35 years to come to the big screen (although the action was only set 30 years in the future).