Channel 4’s upcoming occupied-Britain thriller ‘Army of Shadows’ has added some serious awards firepower, with Academy Award winners Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking, Thelma & Louise) and Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Crown) joining its already rather impressive ensemble.
The six-part drama comes from creator Ronan Bennett (The Day of the Jackal, MobLand) and imagines how a resistance movement might take shape in a Great Britain under occupation. Sarandon and Colman join previously announced stars Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon, The Third Day), America Ferrera (Superstore, Barbie), Alex Hassell (Rivals, The Boys) and Kit Harington (Game of Thrones, Industry).
Inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film and Joseph Kessel’s novel of the same name, ‘Army of Shadows’ uses those works as the foundation for a new story set in occupied Britain. The country appears almost normal, but the flags have changed, the news is tightly controlled and people have learned that certain things are better left unsaid.
From beneath that uneasy surface emerges Berry, a former soldier attempting to build a secret resistance network. He knows that moving too soon could destroy everything, but an unlikely collection of ordinary people gradually begins to form around him, including a soldier, a student, a radiographer and a journalist. Each must decide whether they can continue looking away or make a choice which cannot be undone.
Against them stands a state with seemingly unlimited reach, a ruthless minister determined to maintain order and Jessie, an American intelligence operative who is extremely good at her job. The result is being pitched as a tense thriller about the real cost of resistance, built around one rather uncomfortable question: “If your country were occupied, what would you do?”
Also joining the ensemble are Leila Farzad (I Hate Suzie, Two Weeks in August), Luther Ford (The Crown, The Man I Love), Amara Okereke (The Choral, In the Lost Lands), Patrick O’Kane (Steal, The Day of the Jackal), Anjli Mohindra (Half Man, The Lazarus Project), Ed Ashley (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Masters of the Air) and Zoë Telford (The Crow Girl, The Lazarus Project).
All six episodes will be directed by Lisa Gunning (Black Doves, The Power). The drama is co-produced by STUDIOCANAL and Two Cities Television, with Bennett among the executive producers. It was developed with the support of the Melville family and Kessel estate, while royalties from Kessel’s works are bequeathed to the Irish Red Cross.
STUDIOCANAL will handle worldwide distribution and is set to launch international sales at MIPCOM 2026.
‘Army of Shadows’ does not yet have a premiere date, but will air on Channel 4 in the UK.
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