'Game of Thrones' Star Sophie Turner to Lead British True Crime Drama 'Joan'

Television fans owe a lot to Game of Thrones. The series wasn’t just compelling drama; it made prestige fantasy popular, even cool, in a way we’re still seeing play out on our screens today. (See also: The rise of His Dark Materials, The Wheel of Time, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.) But it also launched many of its young and lesser-known cast members into the stratosphere, including Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Richard Madden, Gwendoline Christie, and more.

Actress Sophie Turner was part of the series’ younger cohort who essentially grew up onscreen while playing the eldest Stark daughter Sansa. She’s since gone on to star as a young Jean Grey in the X-Men: First Class franchise and had a handful of smaller roles, including the recent Netflix teen hit, Do Revenge, and HBO true crime drama The Staircase.

Next, she’s set to lead the cast of Joan, an upcoming ITV thriller about Joan Harrington, the notorious British jewel thief, and criminal mastermind. Their exploits earned her the nickname ‘The Godmother’ in London underworld during the 1980s. The six-part series has been developed and written by The Essex Serpent’s Anna Symon and is based on Hannington’s memoir; I Am What I Am: The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief.