*Christian Cooke steps into the mind of Chess Legend Garry Kasparov in Rematch — The Ultimate Man vs Machine Showdown Premieres July 18 on Lionsgate Play*
_*A gripping psychological drama that reimagines one of the most iconic chess battles in history between human brilliance and artificial intelligence.*_
What happens when the very tool mankind creates becomes its intellectual rival? In 1997, the unthinkable happened: a supercomputer beat the greatest chess mind alive. *Rematch* transports viewers back to that historic showdown between world champion *Garry Kasparov* and IBM’s pioneering supercomputer Deep Blue, in a gripping psychological drama that explores the limits of human intellect in an age of rising machines. Where genius clashes with innovation and every move echoes through history, this six-episode miniseries delves deep into the mind of a man confronting more than just a machine; he’s facing the future itself. What unfolds is far more than a game of chess; it’s a turning point that blurred the line between human brilliance and artificial intelligence, sparking a global debate still relevant in today’s AI-driven world.
Directed by *Yan England,* the series stars *Christian Cooke* as Kasparov, alongside *Sarah Bolger, Aidan Quinn* , *Tom Austen* and *Trine Dyrholm* in key roles. Rematch premieres exclusively on *Lionsgate Play* on *July 18, 2025* , offering a character-driven retelling of a historic duel that reshaped history both on and off the board. Mark your calendars — it’s your ultimate ‘check-date’!
*Talking about how they approached the series, lead actor Christian Cooke said* , “ _The benefit is that it's not an original story, it's based on something that actually happened. The writing follows the historic event as its foundation and so that's really what we were doing. We were telling a real piece of history about something that happened. It's great when you can do it; because what's more dramatic than real life. I think that we didn't need to worry about that too much because the match happened and there is a lot to draw upon and as an actor you are just trying to follow the arc of the writing, the character. How is it mapped out in the script and you're really just breaking it down day by day, scene by scene and you're thinking about each moment as a whole_ .”
*Talking about his preparation, he added* , “ _So I read a lot of books, I watched some of the documentary about Kasparov which was made about when he played Deep Blue called ‘Garry Kasparov - a man vs Machine, the BBC made, which was a great source of research and I think there is similarity just in terms of focus and work ethic. And, you have to be quite tenacious as an actor to keep pursuing it and keep striving to be better and to challenge yourself. I think when you are a chess player you're on your own with that as well. It’s like you just have to keep focus and keep going and keep sharp, which is the same thing I get as an actor_ ”.
