Babou Ceesay (Getting On, Eye In The Sky), Laurence Olivier Award winner Rory Kinnear (PENNY DREADFUL, Spectre) and Daniel Mays (Line of Duty, Mrs Biggs) have joined the cast of the new six-part drama thriller GUERRILLA. Also joining the cast are Nathaniel Martello-White (Deadmeat, Misfits, Trial and Retribution), Denise Gough (People, Places & Things, The Duchess of Malfi), Brandon Scott (Grey's Anatomy), Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat, Not Safe for Work) and Nicholas Pinnock (Fortitude). Set to air on Showtime and Sky Atlantic in 2017, GUERRILLA, which begins production in London this week, centers on a politically active couple who set out to change the world. Academy Award® winner John Ridley (American Crime) will create, write and direct the series. Golden Globe® winner Idris Elba (Luther, Beasts of No Nation) will co-star and serve as an executive producer through his Green Door Pictures. Ridley will write the majority of the episodes and will direct the first two and the finale, with Emmy® Award nominee Sam Miller (Luther, Fortitude, American Crime) directing the remaining episodes.
Ceesay plays the role of Marcus, whose partner Jas is played by Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire). Political activists, they quickly transform into hardened militants at war with a Special Branch unit dedicated to crushing all forms of black activism. Kinnear and Mays play the roles of Pence and Cullen, police assigned to a secret Special Branch unit that targets black activists on the streets of 1970s London. Ashton, plays the part of Omega, who views herself as a leader within the black community; Gough joins as the tough and fiery Fallon; and Martello-White will play Dhari, an astute and charismatic radical. Pinnock will play Julian a calm, cool character and Brandon Scott joins as Leroy, a rough-customer who is dedicated to the movement but also has his own policies.
"I have wanted to tell this story for many years and I feel a great sense of responsibility towards the people and era that we are portraying," said Ridley. "We have been given a rare opportunity to explore the kind of narrative that we do not usually see on television, and with the kinds of artisans who are not typically represented. I am extremely grateful and inspired by the brilliant and dedicated actors who have recently joined our team."
GUERRILLA is a love story set against the backdrop of one of the most politically explosive times in U.K. history. It tells the story of a couple whose relationship and values are tested when they liberate a political prisoner and form a radical
UNDERGROUND cell in 1970s London. Their ultimate target becomes the Black Power Desk, a true-life, secretive counter-intelligence unit within Special Branch dedicated to crushing all forms of black activism. Whilst the series is set against a background of social and political activism, at its heart Guerrilla is about a relationship under pressure, and the reality that for any couple there comes a point when the choices they make have real and lasting consequences.
Along with Ridley and Elba, the executive producers will be Patrick Spence and Katie Swinden for Fifty Fathoms, Tracy Underwood for
ABC Signature and Michael McDonald for Stearns Castle. Yvonne Ibazebo will serve as producer for Fifty Fathoms and Shaheen Baig is the casting director. GUERRILLA is a co-production between Fifty Fathoms and
ABC Signature.
About Sky: Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 21 million customers across five countries: UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose. Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of £4.9 billion. The group employs 30,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY). For more information visit corporate.sky.com.
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