BEL POWLEY, LIEV SCHREIBER AND JOE COLE CAST IN DISNEY+ LIMITED SERIES 'A SMALL LIGHT' FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

 

BEL POWLEY, LIEV SCHREIBER AND JOE COLE CAST IN DISNEY+ LIMITED SERIES 'A SMALL LIGHT'

FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

 

Produced by ABC Signature in Partnership with Keshet Studios, the Eight-Episode Scripted Series Will Focus on the Life Story of Miep Gies, Who Played a Critical Role in Hiding Anne Frank and Her Family

 

 

Production To Begin This Summer 2022 in Prague and Amsterdam

 

 

(BURBANK, CALIF. – APRIL. 13, 2022) Disney+ announced today that Bel Powley ("The Morning Show") as lead, Liev Schreiber ("Ray Donovan") and Joe Cole ("Peaky Blinders") will star in the fact-based, scripted series from National Geographic "A Small Light." Produced by ABC Signature in partnership with Keshet Studios, "A Small Light" will focus on the real-life story of Miep Gies, who played a critical role in hiding Anne Frank and her family. Previously announced, executive producers and writers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan (ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," "Council of Dads") will serve as showrunners and executive producer Susanna Fogel ("The Flight Attendant," "Cat Person") will direct multiple episodes, including the pilot. Principal photography will begin this summer 2022 in Prague and Amsterdam.

 

The powerful, eight-episode limited series tells the remarkable story of 20-something secretary Miep Gies (Bel Powley), who didn't hesitate when her boss Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to hide him and his family from the Nazis during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan (Joe Cole) and several other everyday heroes watched over the eight souls hiding in the secret annex. It was Miep who found Anne's diary and preserved it so that she and Otto could later share it with the world. The series title comes from something Gies said late in her life: "I don't like being called a hero because no one should ever think you have to be special to help others. Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room."

 

Powley will play Miep Gies, Otto Frank's faithful, funny, outspoken and utterly ordinary secretary. While Anne Frank was writing her beautiful coming-of-age story in the annex, Miep was living hers on the other side of the secret bookcase. Miep kept her heroic work secret from her friends and family while also struggling with the everyday pressures of work, daily life in wartime under Nazi occupation, and a new marriage. Gies, who died in 2010 at the age of 100, was an unlikely heroine whose inspirational story is timeless and deeply humanistic.

 

Schreiber will play Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father, who escaped Germany in the '30s when the Nazis' rise to power made life dangerous for Jews. Otto remained the most optimistic member of those in hiding: he was the rock, the father figure, the boss. After the war, he maintained that optimism when he returned from Auschwitz and waited for his daughters to return. When he learned they had both died, it was Miep who gave him Anne's diary that she had saved from the hands of the Nazis.

 

Cole will portray Jan Gies, Miep's daring and devoted husband. A social worker in war-torn Amsterdam, Jan was uniquely positioned to serve those most impacted by the Nazi occupation—including Jews. For two years, he helped Miep take care of the Franks and four others in hiding in the attic of Otto's company, Opekta. As her partner—in life and in their secret efforts—he was Miep's one and only confidante.

 

The screenwriters are Rater and Phelan. DGA award-winner and Emmy®-nominated Fogel will direct the pilot as well as additional episodes. Executive producers are Rater, Phelan and Fogel; Keshet Studios' Peter Traugott; Keshet International's Alon Shtruzman; and Keshet Media Group's Avi Nir.

 

Powley is represented by Curtis Brown, UTA and Jackoway Austen. Schreiber is represented by Untitled and UTA. Cole is represented by B-Side Management and WME.

 

About Disney+

Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the new general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers commercial-free streaming alongside an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney's long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service or as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.

 

About National Geographic Partners

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 134 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information, visitnatgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.



About ABC Signature

One of the Disney Television Studios, ABC Signature produces many of ABC Entertainment's most significant hits, including "Grey's Anatomy," "black-ish," and "Station 19"; co-productions "The Good Doctor," "A Million Little Things," "The Rookie," and "Home Economics," and late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ABC Signature's returning and upcoming series include Hulu's co-production "Woke; "grown-ish" for Freeform; "The Wilds" for Amazon and "Godfather of Harlem" for EPIX. For streaming service Disney +, series include "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers," "Big Shot" and the upcoming "National Treasure" and "Muppets Mayhem."

 

About Keshet Studios

With offices in Los Angeles and New York, Keshet Studios is Keshet International's (KI) US-based production arm, providing an international platform for distinct US voices, stories and talent. The studio draws on KI's extensive catalogue, as well as its wide network of connections, to develop, produce and package content for the US and international marketplaces.  As part of its ongoing production pact and first-look deal with Universal Television (UTV), Keshet Studios is co-producing the Fall hit La Brea (NBC) and David E Kelley's The Missing (Peacock), while also co-developing several projects for various buyers, including After School Special, Ties That Bind, and The Stuntwoman with UTV. It is also shooting Echo 3, the US adaptation of Keshet's When Heroes Fly, for Apple TV+.