So who WILL play Prince Andrew in BBC Newsnight movie? Hugh Grant rules himself out of adaptation while fans tip Gillian Anderson to play Emily Maitlis (as she lets her hair down at Mayfair haunt Tramp)

• Prince Andrew’s BBC Newsnight interview to be turned into a film called Scoop
• Book adaptation, by Peter Moffat, will tell the story of how sit down was secured
• It will be based on a book by Sam McAlister, the woman who secured interview
• Hugh Grant was tipped, in an article by Deadline News, to play Prince Andrew
• But the Love Actually actor, 61, denied link on Twitter, saying: ‘Never heard of it’
• Meanwhile, journalist Emily Maitlis shared that she had visited nightclub Tramp
• Ms Maitlis quizzed  duke over claims he visited nightclub with Virginia Roberts 

Hugh Grant last night rubbished rumours that he could be cast as Prince Andrew in a new film dramatising the royal’s car crash BBC Newsnight interview.

The Notting Hill actor, 61, took to social media to distance himself from the role, writing on Twitter: ‘No I’m not. Never heard of it.’

It comes after it was revealed that the Prince’s Newsnight interview – widely considered one of the most disastrous in royal history – is set to be at the heart of a new movie.

Titled ‘Scoop’, it will be based on the new book by Sam McAlister, the woman who clinched the sit down with the Duke of York about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

Your Honor screenwriter Peter Moffat is writing the film adaptation, which will tell the story of how the interview came to be. 

During the now-infamous sit down with presenter Emily Maitlis, Prince Andrew denied he had sex with Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein on three separate occasions, including when she was 17 – still a minor under US law. 

He also dismissed one of the American’s claims – that he was sweating heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp – as factually wrong because he had a medical condition at the time which meant he did not sweat.  

Yesterday, as news of the film filtered out, Ms Maitlis shared a picture of herself in the exclusive Mayfair bar.

Sharing the picture on Twitter, the presenter, 51, who is leaving BBC Newsnight to join radio broadcaster LBC, said: ‘So tonight, for the first time in my life, I went to a party at Tramp(ses).’

While Grant has been put forward as a potential casting for Prince Andrew, in a report by entertainment news site Deadline, there has not yet been any word about who could play Ms Maitlis.

Fans last night took to social media to put forward their own suggestions, with The Crown star Gillian Anderson, 53, and British actress Dame Emma Thompson, 63, among them.

Prince Andrew’s BBC Newsnight interview (pictured) – widely considered one of the most disastrous in royal history – is set to be at the heart of a new movie with Hugh Grant tipped to play the Duke of York

Hugh Grant (pictured with Emily Maitlis in 2013) last night rubbished rumours that he could be cast as Prince Andrew in a new film dramatising the prince’s car crash BBC Newsnight interview 

The Notting Hill actor, 61, took to social media (pictured) to distance himself from suggestions he was set to be cast as the Duke of York, writing: ‘No I’m not. Never heard of it.’

Yesterday, as news of the film filtered out, Ms Maitlis shared a picture (above) of herself in the exclusive Mayfair bar. The presenter, 51, who is leaving BBC Newsnight to join radio broadcaster LBC, said: ‘So tonight, for the first time in my life, I went to a party at Tramp(ses).

United Agents yesterday confirmed the movie, describing the forthcoming film as ‘exciting news’. 

Meanwhile, McAlister, whose book Scoops: Behind The Scenes Of The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews, was released on Thursday, tweeted about the project: ‘…can’t actually breathe with the excitement!!!!’. 

She added: ‘So…. Who should play me?’

After his Newsnight interview in November 2019, Andrew pledged to ‘help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations’, but has not yet done so.

The film will be based on the new book by Sam McAlister (pictured), the woman who who clinched the sit-down with Andrew

On November 16, the prince gave a ‘disastrous’ BBC interview in which he spoke about his friendship with Epstein and addressed allegations of his own sexual conduct.

The duke denied he slept with Ms Roberts, one of Epstein’s victims, on three separate occasions, twice while she was underage.

He said one encounter in 2001 did not happen as he spent the day with his daughter Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking for a party. 

The duke also said that the same alleged sexual liaison, which the American said began with the royal sweating heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp, was factually wrong as he had a medical condition at the time which meant he did not sweat.

He cast doubt on the authenticity of a picture that appears to show Andrew with his arm around the waist of Miss Roberts, when a teenager.

Andrew came under fresh pressure last month to talk to the FBI about his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein following Ghislaine Maxwell’s jailing.

Her victims say the duke and other ‘cowardly’ Epstein associates who ‘hide behind power and prestige’ should be targeted by the authorities.

Maxwell, 60, is likely to serve at least 15 of the 20 years she was given in a New York court on Tuesday for doing ‘incalculable damage to young girls’ with Epstein.

Yesterday, victims’ lawyer Spencer Kuvin said: ‘Our hope is that the government… prosecutes all the co-conspirators in this sexual conspiracy pyramid scheme.

‘This includes not only the people procuring victims, but also the alleged perpetrators of abuse like Prince Andrew. He should definitely be concerned. But if he did nothing wrong, then come forward and tell the full story to the FBI.’

Andrew has largely withdrawn from public life since reaching a £12million out-of-court settlement this year with Epstein victim Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre), who accused the duke of raping her. He has always denied the allegations.

He cast doubt on the authenticity of a picture that appears to show Andrew with his arm around the waist of Miss Roberts, when a teenager (pictured here with Prince Andrew in 2001)

The duke denied he slept with Ms Roberts (pictured), one of Epstein’s victims, on three separate occasions, twice while she was underage

He said one encounter in 2001 did not happen as he spent the day with his daughter Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking (pictured) for a party 

In a now infamous interview with presenter Emily Maitlis, the duke denied claims he had sex with Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein (pictured) on three separate occasions, including when she was 17 – still a minor under US law

In the 2000s, he spent weeks at Epstein’s villa in Florida – the so-called ‘House of Sin’ where ‘lady of the house’ Maxwell forced children to dress as schoolgirls for under-age sex with her boyfriend.

For more than two years, US prosecutors have wanted the British Government to set up a formal interview with the duke under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.

The Home Office has yet to act, and a stand-off continues between the duke’s legal team and US prosecutors over the terms of any interview by the FBI in London.

Legal sources told the Daily Mail the request had been ‘long-grassed’. One said: ‘It appears to be in the too-hot-to-handle tray.’

Maxwell, the daughter of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, met Andrew while studying history at Oxford in the early Eighties, and the prince later invited her and her boyfriend Epstein to Windsor Castle and Sandringham.

In New York yesterday, Brad Edwards, another victims’ lawyer, said: ‘There’s a lot of people who have a lot of information. We have said for a long time… they should be speaking and the time is now.

‘Yet they are continuing to not speak, they are hurting victims, they are hurting survivors, they are not helping. There are a lot of people who have a lot of power and prestige and hide behind that and don’t come forward like normal good human beings. They are people that are cowards and I wish they would come forward.’

He urged the FBI to keep investigating. Asked about others possibly linked to Maxwell and Epstein, he vowed: ‘Let’s hope they’re the next target. If we have anything to do with it, they will be.’

Maxwell victim Sarah Ransome, who gave an emotional speech to the court about how her life was ruined, said: ‘The men that were involved in our sexual trafficking, the employees, the wealthy friends – you are as bad as Ghislaine.’

Andrew came under fresh pressure last month to talk to the FBI about his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein following Ghislaine Maxwell’s (pictured here with Jeffrey Epstein) jailing

Maxwell (pictured here in a court sketch for her trial), the daughter of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, met Andrew while studying history at Oxford in the early Eighties, and the prince later invited her and her boyfriend Epstein to Windsor Castle and Sandringham

Lisa Bloom, a lawyer for victims of Epstein, who killed himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for child sex charges, added: ‘We call upon the FBI to fully investigate Prince Andrew. Virginia Giuffre’s civil case should be just the beginning. 

‘Everyone associated with Epstein and Maxwell should be carefully investigated.

‘It’s time for Prince Andrew to do the right thing, the thing he said he would do, and co-operate with the FBI so everyone who enabled Epstein and Maxwell can be brought to justice. Until he does, it is too soon for him to return to public life.’

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, who is now a lawyer in Los Angeles, said: ‘I know Prince Andrew’s attorney. I know how they defend cases. 

‘There’s absolutely no way they’re going to make him available. They will make sure he never steps foot in the US.’

The FBI has said Andrew is a ‘person of interest’. Nick Goldstone, the UK-based head of dispute resolution at international law firm Ince, said: ‘For the FBI to escalate Andrew’s status they would have to consider bringing criminal charges against him – and in order to do that, they would need quite cogent evidence.

‘Unless or until charges are brought I do not think anything can be done to force Andrew to assist, so long as he doesn’t set foot in the USA or on US territorial soil any time soon.’

A spokesman for the Duke of York and prosecutors for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

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