The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Release date, cast, plot, and everything to know about the historical drama

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the latest addition to the list of Holocaust-centric pieces of work. In May 2022, Sky Atlantic and Peacock announced on their respective platforms that they were adapting Heather Morris's popular novel of the same name for the screens. The streaming services also announced that the limited series would be released on May 2, 2024.

The book The Tattooist of Auschwitz chronicles the life of a Jewish prisoner, Lali Sokolov, tasked with engraving numbers on the hands of Jews in Auschwitz that served as their identifying numbers in the concentration camp. His experience in the camps will be the subject of the upcoming series based on the book.

---

What is the plot of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and who are the actors featured in the show?

Releasing on Thursday, May 2, 2024, the first official trailer for The Tattooist of Auschwitz was dropped on Sky TV's YouTube channel on April 10, 2024. Since then, the approximately two-minute trailer has amassed 1.2 million views, highlighting the eagerness of the audience towards the series. Before the trailer was released, Sky TV posted a description of the upcoming show on their website, which read:

"The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the story of one man, Lali (played by Jonah Hauer-King), a Slovakian Jew, who, in 1942, was deported to Auschwitz, the concentration camp where over a million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Shortly after arrival, Lali was made one of the Tätowierer (tattooists), charged to ink identification numbers onto fellow prisoners’ arms."

It continued:

"One day, he met Gita (played by Anna Próchniak) when tattooing her prisoner number on her arm, leading to a love that defies the horrors around them. So began a courageous and unforgettable, story. Under constant guard from a volatile Nazi SS officer Baretzki (played by Jonas Nay), Lali and Gita became determined to keep each other alive. "

It also highlighted how the book chronicling Sokolov's life came into being.

"Around 60 years later, Lali (portrayed by Harvey Keitel) then in his 80s, met aspiring writer Heather Morris (played by Melanie Lynskey). Recently widowed, Lali found the courage to tell the world his story. In recounting his past to Heather, Lali finally confronted the traumatic ghosts of his youth and relived his memories of falling in love in the darkest of places."

The Tattooist of Auschwitz features some remarkable actors who have given their all to their performances. A glimpse of the same can be seen in the trailer for the show. The cast of the upcoming series includes:

• Jonah Hauer-King who plays a young Lali
• Harvey Keitel who plays an older version of Lali
• Anna Próchniak as Gita
• Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris
• Jonas Nay as Stefan Baretzki
• Karin Ann as Maria
• Oleksandr Yatsenko as Vlad
• Yali Topol Margalith as Cilka

---

Is The Tattooist Of Auschwitz based on a true story?

As mentioned previously The Tattooist Of Auschwitz is adapted from Heather Morris's popular novel of the same name. In a written email to The New York Times, Morris had explicitly mentioned that her book was majorly based on true events as narrated by Lali, the protagonist of the book.

"It is Lali’s story. I make mention of history and memory waltzing together and straining to part, it must be accepted after 60 years this can happen but I am confident of Lali’s telling of his story, only he could tell it and others may have a different understanding of that time but that is their understanding, I have written Lali’s," Morris said.

---

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is scheduled to release on May 2, 2024, on Stan in Australia, Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom, and Peacock in the United States.