Gemma Arteton To Play Marilyn Monroe In ‘Some Like It Hot’ Comedy

EXCLUSIVE: Gemma Arterton is to play Marilyn Monroe in a one-off TV comedy set against the backdrop of the 1959 rom-com Some Like It Hot.

The Their Finest star is to front Sky Arts’ Marilyn Monroe and Billy Wilder, formerly known as It’s Me, Sugar, alongside Rome’s James Purefoy, who plays Billy Wilder, as part of its Urban Myths strand.

I hear the show, which will air later this spring, is focused on hard-drinking Monroe’s rumored inability to land the ‘it’s me, sugar’ line in the film, although others suggest it was actually a line about bourbon or even a deliberate ploy by Monroe to get Wilder to rewrite the movie. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon reportedly made side bets during filming.

It is part of the forthcoming Urban Myths season, which features The Sex Pistols vs Bill Grundy, starring Steve Pemberton, When Bowie Met Bolan (Lion TV), starring Jack Whitehall as Marc Bolan and Luke Treadaway as David Bowie, The Dali and The Cooper (Me & You Productions), starring David Suchet, Noel Fielding and Sheila Hancock and Public Enemy feat. Kev Wells (Happy Tramp). More projects are expected to be revealed shortly.

The 30-minute comedy is directed by Mindhorn and Brass Eye director Sean Foley. It is produced by LittleRock Pictures, the indie run by Zoe Rocha, who is exec producing and who is now in charge of The Fyzz Factility’s fledgling TV division.

Rocha is understood to be producing a number of other one-offs as part of the Urban Myths strand. In addition to LittleRock, she is aggressively expanding the TV slate of film firm Fyzz. The 47 Metres Down producer is currently developing a limited series based on the Paul Torday’s book The Girl On The Landing with Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes writing and James Strong directing.

Arterton is repped by Independent Talent Group, CAA and Agence Adequat.