HBO greenlights WWI miniseries 'Parade's End'

From "Band of Brothers" to "The Pacific," HBO knows its epic battles, and it's continuing that focus with "Parade's End," a five-part miniseries set during World War I, written by Tom Stoppard ("Shakespeare In Love"), and starring British actors Benedict Cumberbatch (of the BBC's "Sherlock") and Rebecca Hall ("Vicky Christina Barcelona").

Directed by Susanna White, who got an Emmy nod for another HBO war drama, "Generation Kill," the series is based four books by novelist Ford Madox Ford that were published during the 1920s.

The story follows a love triangle among a conservative English aristocrat (Cumberbatch), his wife (Hall), and a young suffragette.

Production on "Parade's End" is scheduled to begin in the fall. 

-- Melissa Maerz

Photo: "Parade's End" Credit: Penguin