Don’t you love teasing a new movie or series to your pals who haven’t seen it yet, and dishing something like, “Watch out for ____, he’s not what he seems?” The juicy saying rings true in a number of high-profile projects that have hit the masses of late, such as Magpie, a project developed by Daisy Ridley (who stars) and written by her husband, Tom Bateman. Bateman is perhaps most well-known in front of the camera, though, thanks to a number of buzzy projects such as Cold Pursuit, Thirteen Lives, and Kenneth Branagh’s new Agatha Christie films. He also leads the Peacock series Based on a True Story with Kaley Cuoco, which is about to return for a second season. MovieWeb recently caught up with Bateman amid the release of Magpie to learn more about the unique character parallels between that and his hit TV show.
“Interestingly enough, I was shooting that series while we were shooting Magpie back home. So I couldn’t actually be on set for Magpie. I’d watch the dailies every day. But I was struck by that, ‘Oh, I’m playing a character here who’s not what he seems. He’s tricking an audience into thinking another [thing].'” Bateman told us. “But it’s a really fun show to do and be a part of. The old saying is, ‘The bad guy gets all the best lines.’ And I feel very lucky with that character, that I get a really fun character to play, and the opportunity to play him for a second season was so great.” He continued:
I know a lot of shows didn’t get picked up at this time, so to be one of the shows that Universal decided to go again with was really special. And we were all so happy, and we knew there was more to be done. It was such an interesting, fun idea. We knew there was way more track to run on this.
Bateman went on to preview what’s to come with season two of Peacock’s Based on a True Story, which also stars Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina. “It does go in a totally new direction. It doesn’t pick up where you think it will,” explained Bateman. “Like, season one ends on that cliffhanger. Season two picks up somewhere totally new, totally different. It’ll hopefully confuse an audience, and by the time you see what’s happened to my character, the dude looks totally different, and he’s singing a very different song.” He added:
“And again, the fun thing is…
he’s playing all these games.
And we’ve got these new, great writers on, so being part of that while they were writing, while creating. You know, you don’t start that series with all the scripts done. They create and go, which is fascinating to be a part of because you go, ‘My God, what’s going to happen?'”
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People Chasing ‘Shiny Objects’
In the meantime, Magpie showcases Bateman’s own writing talents, and he revealed to us where the film’s unique title originated for his seductive neo-noir revolving around adulterous affairs and sexual undertones. “In the U.K., magpies, they’re known to be attracted to shiny objects,” Bateman said regarding the bird species. “They don’t know what the objects are, but they know they’re shiny, and they kind of want it.” He elaborated:
And if someone is described as a magpie, you know, they’re seduced easily [by] the shiny object. And I thought that was pretty appropriate to not just one character in this, but kind of all of them. ‘Who is the shiny object? Who is the magpie?’
From Shout! Studios, Magpie is now playing in select theaters. Season two of Based on a True Story premieres Nov 21, 2024 on Peacock.
- Release Date
- June 8, 2023
- Seasons
- 2
- Writers
- Craig Rosenberg
- Showrunner
- Craig Rosenberg