“Army of Shadows,” the upcoming thriller series from BAFTA-winning “MobLand” and “The Day of the Jackal” creator Ronan Bennett and set in a near-future authoritarian Britain, has set its top cast.
Leading the ensemble are BAFTA winner Paddy Considine (“House of The Dragon,” “MobLand”), Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner America Ferrera (“Barbie,” “The Lost Bus”), Alex Hassell (“Rivals,” “Wasteman”) and Kit Harington (“Industry,” “Game of Thrones”). Meanwhile, Lisa Gunning (“Black Doves,” “The Power”) will direct all six episodes.
First announced last year, the series reunites Bennett with U.K. network Channel 4, which commissioned and aired his breakout hit “Top Boy.” It’s being co-produced by Studiocanal (“Playing Nice,” “Families Like Ours”) and Two Cities Television (“Blue Lights,” “Patrick Melrose”) and has now begun filming in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Paris.
“Army of Shadows” is inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film and Joseph Kessel’s seminal book of the same name, which famously dramatized the emergence of the French Resistance to the Nazi Occupation of France during WWII. Bennett’s reimagining — developed and produced with the support of the Melville family and the Kessel estate, which is controlled by the Irish Red Cross — examines the rise of resistance in an occupied U.K..
As per the synopsis, “Army of Shadows” is set in a Britain that “looks almost normal, but the flags are different, the news is careful, and nobody says certain things out loud anymore. But everyone can feel it. Somewhere beneath the surface of ordinary life something has gone terribly, quietly wrong.”
But out of the shadows emerges a former soldier known only as Berry, who starts building a secret resistance network. He knows one thing above all else: don’t act before you’re ready. An unlikely group starts to coalesce around him — people who’ve decided they can’t look away any longer: a soldier, a student, a radiographer and a journalist. These are ordinary people with ordinary lives making an extraordinary and irreversible choice.
But against them is a state with unlimited reach, a ruthless minister who’ll do whatever it takes to maintain order, and an American intelligence operative called Jessie, who is very good at her job. “Army of Shadows is a tense, propulsive thriller about what resistance actually costs,” reads the description. “If your country were occupied, what would you do?”
“Ronan Bennett has created a gripping, provocative and action-packed drama that feels both epic in scale and strikingly relevant,” said Gwawr Lloyd, interim head of drama at Channel 4. “‘Army of Shadows asks powerful questions about freedom, resistance and the choices people make when democracy is under threat. With a stellar cast lined up under the direction of Lisa Gunning, this is exactly the kind of thought-provoking and high stakes drama that Channel 4 looks to bring to our viewers.”
Added Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and chief content officer of Canal+: “Inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s exceptional 1969 film from our catalogue, and Joseph Kessel’s formative book, we are incredibly proud to have developed this series from inception, attaching an extraordinary cast and creative team to bring ‘Army of Shadows’ into production today. Ronan Bennett’s work is thrilling, climactic and important. And we are delighted to now welcome Lisa Gunning who directs all 6 episodes with irrepressible vision and command.”
“Army of Shadows” has been commissioned for Channel 4 by Lloyd plus Gemma Boswell and Rebecca Holdsworth, drama commissioning editors, Channel 4. Executive producers are Paul Gilbert and M-K Kennedy for Studiocanal Television, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for Studiocanal, with Stephen Wright and Michael Jackson for Two Cities Television alongside Bennett. Studiocanal developed the series from inception with Two Cities Television, which is part of STV Studios. Alison Sterling is the series producer.
CANAL+ has commissioned the series for their global footprint spanning over 50 countries across France, Europe, Africa and Asia. Studiocanal will handle international sales and worldwide distribution.