Ian McDiarmid is best known for his deliciously evil turn as "Palpatine" in the
Star Wars films, as well as roles in
Sleepy Hollow, Dragonslayer and
Gorky Park. Iain Glen is also no stranger to bad guy roles, either, as the mad scientist "Dr. Isaacs" in the second and third
Resident Evil films, in addition to parts in films like
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Kingdom of Heaven and
Gorillas in the Mist.
Both turn from their evil ways to fight crime in old London, under the megaphone of Emmy-nominated director Justin Hardy, in the recent U.K. Channel 4 program
City of Vice. Koch Entertainment is getting ready to bring this production to DVD this summer in North America, and have just sent over all the details to us first! Here is a description, followed by more about the DVD release:
In the 1750s, London's perilous streets were run by armed gangs, corrupt night watchmen and thief takers. Then two Westminster magistrates, novelist Henry Fielding and his brother, John, obtained a grant from Parliament allowing them to bring some law and order to the crime-ridden boroughs of Central London.
Starring Ian McDiarmid and Iain Glenn as these unlikely crime-fighting brothers, 'City of Vice' uses authentic historical research to tell the story of the two men battling to create a police force, 75 years before Robert Peel founded the Metropolitan Police.
Combining the excitement of a contemporary crime drama with actual historical events, this graphic series follows magistrate and author Henry Fielding (Ian McDiarmid) and his blind half-brother John (Iain Glen) on their quest to clean up the streets of 18th century London amidst a population of prostitutes, pimps, gangs and villains.
Koch will release this fascinating-sounding series on a 2-DVD set, with a street date of
June 10th. Besides 300 minutes worth of episodes, there will also be a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette called "The Making of
Vice" included as an extra. Video is 16x9 Widescreen, audio is Dolby Digital, and the cost is $29.98 SRP. Here is the packaging:
