Having recently starred in HBO’s The Last Of Us, viewers are set to see Melanie Lynskey take on a new role in another major adaptation: Sky and Peacock’s The Tattooist Of Auschwitz.

The new six-part series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Heather Morris, who Lynskey will play in the on-screen adaptation. Intrigued? Here’s everything to know about The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, including a look at brand new images from the series.

What is the plot of The Tattooist Of Auschwitz?

The novel, which has sold 12 million copies to date, tells the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner of war who is tasked with tattooing identification numbers onto the arms of fellow prisoners at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War Two.

One day, Lale tattoos the arm of a young woman called Gita, and the pair fall in love at first sight. What follows is, according to the synopsis, a “courageous, unforgettable and human story” – “a tale of the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances”.

Who stars in The Tattooist Of Auschwitz?

Alongside Lynskey, The Little Mermaid’s Jonah Hauer-King and Baptiste’s Anna Próchniak will play Lale and Gita respectively.The German actor Jonas Nay will also play Stefan Baretzki, the Nazi officer who is assigned with guarding Lale in the camp, while Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel (The Irishman), will play the modern-day version of Lale.

The Tattooist Of Auschwitz is likely to feature a series of jumps back and forth between Lale’s experience of Auschwitz and the time he spent telling Morris his story.

The pair were introduced in 2003 while Morris was working at a large public hospital in Melbourne, when she was told Lale “might just have a story worth telling”.

Speaking about the project, Lynskey said it was a “privilege” to be a part of the retelling of Lale and Gita’s story.

“After  the horrors experienced at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the continuation of Lale and Gita Sokolov’s story is finding their new home, and it was years later in Australia Lale felt comfortable to share his story with New Zealand author Heather Morris,” she said.

She continued: “As a New Zealand storyteller in my own way, it is a privilege to be a part of the furthering of Lale’s and Gita’s heart-breaking, yet heart-warming story.”

And you can watch the first trailer for the series here…

When will The Tattooist Of Auschwitz be released?

The series is set to debut on 2 May across Sky Atlantic in the UK & Ireland and Peacock in the US and features a score from Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer (Inception, Interstellar, Dune) and Kara Talve (Faraway Downs, Prehistoric Planet).

Images: Sky