PASADENA, Calif. — Is there gold in them thar miniseries hills?
Discovery Channel thinks so. The U.S. cable network is set to launch its first-ever scripted venture “Klondike.” The six-hour, three-night miniseries begins Jan. 20 on Discovery Canada before continuing the following Tuesday and Wednesday.
Scottish actor Richard Madden (“Game of Thrones”), Abbie Cornish (“RoboCop”), Tim Roth (“Pulp Fiction”), Sam Shepard (“August: Osage County”) and Augustus Prew (“Kick-Ass 2”) star. Ridley Scott, Paul Scheuring and David Zucker are among the executive producers. It’s all based on Charlotte Gray’s book “Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike.”
The cast and producers took questions from reporters Thursday as part of the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour. A large, Klondike-themed casino was erected for an evening event on the back lawn of the tour hotel.
Shepard was a last-minute replacement for Chris Cooper, who had to withdraw with an illness right before production was scheduled to begin.