Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson joins Famous Five remake

Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon
Jack Gleeson's role of Joffrey Baratheon has gone down in TV history. (Image credit: HBO)

Jack Gleeson has swapped Westeros for the South West of England after joining the BBC's The Famous Five adaptation. 

He is set to play the role of Wentworth in the upcoming drama series. Not much has been released about his character just yet, but it's clear that it's a world's away from his iconic role as short-lived King Joffrey Baratheon.

This will mark Jack's first major role since his departure from Game of Thrones in 2014. He decided to take a break from acting following his stint as Joffrey, before appearing in two episodes of the BBC sitcom Out of Her Mind in 2020.

Now though, we will be seeing him in the recurring Wentworth role when the Enid Blyton adaptation hits our screens, which is very exciting news for fans!

While we don't have a release date for The Famous Five yet, we do know that Jack will be starring alongside some great talent in the BBC series. 

This includes the Famous Five themselves, featuring Diaana Babnicova as George,  Elliott Rose as Julian, Kit Rakusen as Dick, and Flora Jacoby Richardson as Anne, with Timmy the Dog also appearing as the fifth member of the group.

Other cast features  Moon Knight's Ann Akinjirin as Fanny, Ted Lasso's James Lance as Quentin, and Father Brown's Diana Quick as Mrs Wentworth.

The Famous Five star Jack Gleeson

Our first look at Jack Gleeson in The Famous Five. (Image credit: BBC)

The Famous Five adaptation is created by Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn, who is known for his work on movies such as Drive and Only God Forgives, meaning the series is a very different vibe from what fans might be used to.

Teasing the series, Tim Kirkby, director of episode one and executive producer said: "Our brilliant young cast are mind-blowingly talented and, along with Kip [a bearded collie cross playing Timmy the dog], they are already bringing these gorgeous characters to life in a fresh and modern way … we can’t wait to bring these glorious, action-filled, epic, family adventures to the screen."

Meanwhile, Jack Gleeson is also set to appear in the upcoming Netflix thriller film In the Land of Saints and Sinners, which stars fellow Irish actors Liam Neeson and Kerry Condon.

The movie is set for a September release at Venice International Film Festival before moving onto the streaming service.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress