Here’s the first cursed image of Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson, yikes

branagh bojo

One of the things which I will NEVER get behind is “making a movie or a series about something that just happened.” People were literally trying to put together a movie about Harvey Weinstein like two seconds after he was outed as a predator. Brexit was literally still happening and being adjudicated when a British company made a TV movie about Brexit Svengali Dominic Cummings starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Well, British channel Sky Atlantic has decided that what everyone needs is a “coronavirus drama” about Boris Johnson. They’ve cast Kenneth Branagh as BoJo and while I hate-respect the quality facial prosthetics they gave Branagh, this is CURSED.

Kenneth Branagh is unrecognizable as he transforms into Boris Johnson for new coronavirus drama “This Sceptred Isle.” The 60-year-old actor will play the British Prime Minister in the new Sky Atlantic drama. The five-part series will chart the events surrounding the Prime Minister, the government, and the country in the face of the first wave of the global pandemic.

Kenneth’s casting as Bojo was first announced last month, and now the first look image of him as the PM shows his utter transformation into the 56-year-old politician. Kenneth has swapped his neatly trimmed brown hair for Boris’ trademark wild blonde locks and prosthetics appear to have been used to give him more of Bojo’s facial features.

The series will be directed by Michael Winterbottom, who will also co-write, while Tim Shipman, the political editor of The Sunday Times, will act as a consultant. Winterbottom has co-written “This Sceptred Isle” with Kieron Quirke, and will direct all five episodes. The five-part drama begins with Johnson’s appointment as Prime Minister, before recounting from the first coronavirus cases in the UK — through to Johnson falling ill with the virus, and the arrival of his son.

[From The NY Post]

Winterbottom is no Tory apologist, which makes this project sort of interesting. I wonder if that’s why Branagh signed on too – the promise that this will be heavily critical of many of the choices Boris Johnson made in 2019 and 2020. But, again, the sh-t is STILL happening. Boris Johnson is still prime minister. We’re still dealing with a deadly pandemic (although by the time this is released, hopefully we won’t be). Britain will feel the effects of Brexit (plus the pandemic) economically for years and years. My point is that it’s probably way too soon to try to review this catastrophe. Also: I kind of wonder if Sussexit will be mentioned?

Say what you will, but Kenneth Branagh is still a very handsome man. How little ego he has to transform himself into a clownshow like BoJo.

Service of Thanksgiving for Sir Peter Hall CBE, Westminster Abbey, London, UK

Boris Johnson addressing the Nation

Photos courtesy of Sky Atlantic, Avalon Red.

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17 Responses to “Here’s the first cursed image of Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson, yikes”

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  1. heygingersnaps says:

    I loathe boris johnson, my son’s aunt (she is white British) is always trying to big up “bojo” to my 4 year old son. Not happening, I will call him prime minister because unfortunately he is the current one at the moment but I refuse to normalise him to my son. He is not cool, hip, one of the people, he is corrupt, awful at job and only cares about himself and his mates.

    • SarahCS says:

      HuffPost UK did a horrifying article on his leadership with all sorts of quotes from Tory MPs and obviously they were out to make him look bad but even when you take it with a large pinch of salt it left me scared for how our country is being run. He’s a yes man who can’t be bothered with details.

    • AA says:

      Yes, thank you.
      Children are literally living in poverty in this country.
      Disabled people are being druven to suicide by tory policies.
      Asylum seekers are dying drowning in the seas.
      And somehow so many people here, even non-tory supporters, want me to believe that he is “funny” or “a character” somehow.
      His persona is not cool, his well-documented racism is not cool, him saying that £250K a year he makes from a second gig is “chicken feed” while people are starving is not anything to be proud of.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      So true – take heart in the fact that he is NOT popular with a large chunk of the populace, its only Brexiters who love him.

      I pray we get another General Election this year but I am wishful thinking. Kier Starmer needs to up his public profile and be more forceful in his opposition to the Tories.

  2. Mrs. Peel says:

    That’s quite the transformation!

  3. teehee says:

    First impression. amazing
    Second impression, stop brushing his hair so much lol

    • oliphant500 says:

      yes, Bojo always looks like he’s just brushed his hair with a balloon 🙂

    • smcollins says:

      Lol I was just thinking his hair is too neat and not disheveled enough. Other than that he looks pretty spot on (definitely better than Gary Oldman being buried under his prosthetics as Churchill).

  4. L84Tea says:

    Holy s**t!!

  5. SarahCS says:

    Wow, they have this thing nailed. Mess it up a bit more and it’s 100% done.

    I’m possibly here for this. I think (know) that they will be trying to sweep so much of his ineptitude and lack of leadership under the carpet that anything which reminds people how incompetent he is and the very real and deadly impact of his actions (or lack of). Even taking out the power of hindsight AT THE TIME we were sitting here asking why we weren’t in lockdown, stopping travel, etc. Then you have ‘eat out to help out’ and other short-sighted business first health last ideas. We need to remember.

  6. Digital Unicorn says:

    Nah, his hair to far too tidy.

  7. Stacy Dresden says:

    How did the universe produce Trump and this creature to rise to power at the same time? It’s like we are living in a simulation and there has been a tragic and noticeable glitch

  8. Tiffany says:

    Kenneth’s idol is Olivier and he wants to the be remembered as the next Olivier so, Godspeed sir.

    He will rack up a ton of awards for this role too.

  9. notasugarhere says:

    @Kaiser, I’m waiting for someone to cast John Cusack as the Ex-president. Dye his hair, throw in blue contacts, and he’s there. That’d be a disconcerting physical transformation, but he’d do an amazing job of skewering Drumpf in the portrayal.

  10. Rachael Prest says:

    I hope they portray him as the lying, narcissistic, misogynistic, two-faced bottom-feeder he is. He deserves no generosity.