The top cast members have been announced for Army of Shadows, a new thriller series set in near-future dictatorial Britain by Ronan Bennett, creator of BAFTA-winning films Mobland and The Day of the Jackal.
The ensemble is led by BAFTA winner Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon, Mobland), Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner America Ferrera (Barbie, The Lost Bus), Alex Hassell (Rivals, The Wasteman) and Kit Harington (Industry, Game of Thrones). Meanwhile, Lisa Gunning (Black Doves, The Power) will direct all six episodes.
The series, first announced last year, reunites Bennett with Channel 4, the British network that commissioned and aired his blockbuster hit Top Boy. The film is being co-produced by Studio Canal (Playing Nice, Families Like Hours) and Two Cities Television (Blue Lights, Patrick Melrose), and filming has now begun in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Paris.
Army of Shadows was inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film and Joseph Kessel’s seminal book of the same name, famous for dramatizing the emergence of French resistance against the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. Developed and produced with the support of the Melville family and the Kessel Estate, managed by the Irish Red Cross, Bennett’s Reconsideration examines the growing resistance in occupied Britain.
According to the synopsis, “Army of Shadows” is set in Britain, which “looks almost normal, but the flag is different, the news is cautious, and no one is saying certain things out loud anymore. But everyone feels it. Somewhere in their ordinary lives, something is terribly, quietly wrong.”
However, a former soldier known as Berry emerges from the shadows and begins building a secret resistance network. He knows one thing above all. That means don’t act before you’re ready. People begin to gather around him, including soldiers, students, radiology technicians, journalists, and others who have decided that they can no longer take their eyes off him. They are ordinary people living ordinary lives, making extraordinary and irreversible choices.
But up against them are a state with unlimited power, a ruthless minister who will stop at nothing to maintain order, and an American intelligence officer called Jesse who is very good at his job. “Army of Shadows is a tense, propulsive thriller about what resistance really costs,” the description reads. “What would you do if your country was occupied?”
“Ronan Bennett has crafted a gripping, provocative, action-packed drama that feels both epic in scale and surprisingly relevant. Army of Shadows is a story about how people fight for freedom, resistance, and democracy at a time when freedom, resistance, and democracy are under threat. “With Lisa Gunning at the helm and an outstanding cast, this is the kind of thought-provoking, high-stakes drama that Channel 4 has to offer,” said Channel 4 Interim Head of Drama Gwar Lloyd. It seems to be delivered to the viewers. ”
Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and Chief Content Officer of Canal+, said: “Inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s extraordinary 1969 film in our catalog and Joseph Kessel’s formative book, we are excited to bring this series to the forefront. We are extremely proud to have developed Army of Shadows from the beginning and to have brought together such an extraordinary cast and creative team to bring it to life today. Ronan Bennett’s work is thrilling, climactic and important, and we are thrilled to have it now.” We welcome Lisa Gunning, who will direct all six episodes with her overwhelming vision and command. ”
Army of Shadows was commissioned for Channel 4 by Lloyd and drama commissioning editors Gemma Boswell and Rebecca Holdsworth. Executive producers are StudioCanal Television’s Paul Gilbert and MK Kennedy, StudioCanal’s Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin, and Bennett along with Two Cities Television’s Stephen Wright and Michael Jackson. Studiocanal developed the series from the beginning with Two Cities Television, part of STV Studios. Alison Starling is the series producer.
CANAL+ commissioned the series for global expansion across more than 50 countries in France, Europe, Africa and Asia. Studiocanal will handle international sales and worldwide distribution.
