James Corden goes serious in new drama 'Mammals'

James Corden has taken on his first serious role in years with new dark comedy-drama Mammals.

Following the story of a couple who's relationship implodes after secrets come to light, has been described as part-drama, part-whodunnit and part-mediation of love and betrayal.

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Corden plays the lead, Jamie, a highly regarded chef who when on holiday with his pregnant wife, starts to see his life unravel.

Also starring in Mammals is two time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, Tyrant star Melia Kreiling and Belfast actor Colin Morgan.

Best known for presenting The Late Late Show and for his comedic and musical roles in things such as Gavin & Stacey, Cats and Cinderella, Mammals will see Corden in his most serious role since the BBC's The Wrong Mans.

The six-part series, which is produced by Amazon, is written by Jez Butterworth, the highly acclaimed playwright behind The Ferryman and Jerusalem.

Butterworth has also worked on James Bond movie Spectre, the Tom Cruise action film Edge of Tomorrow and is currently co-writing the new Indiana Jones film alongside his brother John-Henry and James Mangold.

Corden recently spoke to Vogue about how he came to be a a part of the show: "We immediately got on very, very well, and then a few weeks later, he said, ‘Look, I’ve got this script. If you like it, is there any way you’d be able to film it?’ And I read it and was just… yes. Immediately. Like, I read it in about 21 minutes. I knew with that first episode that this, in his hands, was something quite special.”

Corden also pointed out that he started in dramatic work: "The first two films I made were a film with Shane Meadows and a film with Mike Leigh, back in the late ’90s, early 2000s. Then, I can remember saying to my agent, ‘I’d love to try and audition for some comedies,’ and I couldn’t get seen for any until I wrote a TV series. And then after that, all I could ever really get seen for was comedy.”

Corden is set to depart The Late Late Show next year after hosting the series since 2015.

Mammals will launch worldwide, exclusively on Prime Video on 11 November.

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