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Raff Law and Rita Ora star in the first trailer for 'Twist', a radical new take on the Dickens classic

Watch: The first Twist trailer has landed

Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist has been reimagined as a streetwise heist thriller in the first trailer for Twist.

Dickens’ 1838 book, about an orphan boy who falls in with a gang of pickpockets, has been updated for the 21st century with Jude Law and Sadie Frost’s son Raff Law as Twist, a free-running street artist.

“If singing, dancing, and happy endings is your thing, then you’re watching the wrong version of this story,” says Law’s Twist in the trailer above, referring to Lionel Bart’s iconic Oscar-winning musical Oliver!.

Raff Law as Oliver Twist in Twist. (Sky Cinema)
Raff Law as Oliver Twist in Twist. (Sky Cinema)

And, judging by the first trailer, he’s not wrong: Twist looks like a radical reinvention of the near 200-year-old novel. Sir Michael Caine is Fagin, Lena Headey is Sikes, while pop star Rita Ora plays Dodge, a gender-flipped take on the Artful Dodger.

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Franz Drameh also stars as Batesey, Sophie Simnett as Red, with David Walliams and Noel Clarke in supporting roles.

Rita Ora as Dodge in Twist. (Sky Cinema)
Rita Ora as Dodge in Twist. (Sky Cinema)

This is the first leading role for the 23-year-old model/musician Rafferty Law, who recently told Wonderland Magazine that he felt the pressure on set.

Twist was one of the most enjoyable and intense experiences I’ve ever had. It was a whirlwind,” he said. “The script and the cast blew me away. I was like, ‘The pressure is on. I really need to put in the time.’”

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01:  Sadie Frost (L) and Rafferty Law attend the UK Premiere of "Buttercup Bill" at Curzon Soho on September 1, 2015 in London, England.  (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)
Sadie Frost (L) and Rafferty Law attend the UK Premiere of "Buttercup Bill" at Curzon Soho on September 1, 2015. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)

He leaned on his acting father for advice though, telling W Magazine: “I went to my dad, and the only advice he gave me was just to stay relaxed. He was like, ‘Look, make sure you’re comfortable, and then also make sure you get on with everyone on set, and are polite and friendly.’”

Here’s the synopsis and poster: Twist, a Sky original, is a Dicken’s classic brought thrillingly up to date in the teeming heartland of modern London, where a group of street smart young hustlers plan the heist of the century for the ultimate payday.

The first poster for Twist. (Sky Cinema)
The first poster for Twist. (Sky Cinema)

Twist is coming to Sky Cinema in early 2021.