Director Sam Mendes signs Audible deal for Dickens dramas

British film and theatre director Sir Sam Mendes has signed an exclusive deal with Audible to produce three audio dramas based on novels by Charles Dickens.

The first instalment, releasing in November, will be a reimagining of Oliver Twist, with two more titles to follow in 2023. An all-star British cast will feature in the audio production, further details of which will be announced later in the year.

Audible’s London studios are located close to Saffron Hill, the home of Dickens’ character Fagin’s den, where Oliver and the other members of the pickpocket gang live. Jacob’s Island, the notorious slum of Victorian London and the setting of the climax of the story, is also nearby. Foley recordings — a sound effect technique that involves creating and "performing" everyday noises — will be captured on location in Rotherhithe, in and around an old pub that dates back to Dickens’ era.

Mendes is known for his work on films including "Skyfall", "Revolutionary Road", "1917", "Road to Perdition" and "Jarhead". His work in theatre, directing plays including "The Ferryman", "The Lehman Trilogy" and "Company" in the West End and Broadway, has seen him awarded three Laurence Olivier Awards and two Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Play.

“The London headquarters of Audible sit on the very streets where Charles Dickens walked, and from which he drew many of his astonishing array of characters," he said. "It seems like a perfect marriage – the most prolific storytellers of our age, with the greatest storyteller of all time. I’m delighted to be working with Audible to bring some of my favourite Dickens novels to life, using the vibrant sounds of London to create an immersive sense of the city, and a fantastic collection of actors to create the timeless characters who inhabit it. This will truly be a cinema for the ears — a chance to experience the extraordinary and kaleidoscopic world of Dickens in a whole new way.”

Aurelie De Troyer, senior vice-president of international English content at Audible, commented: “It is an honour to collaborate with Sam Mendes on his audio debut. The casting is extraordinary and we cannot wait for him to bring his celebrated style to three much beloved Dickens classics. Oliver Twist, the first title releasing later this year, is sure to be an epic family audio listening event for the holidays”.