James Nesbitt, Frances O’Connor and Tcheky Karyo for 8-part thriller

BBC One has announced the cast for new 8-part thriller series The Missing as filming begins.

Written by Harry and Jack Williams, The Missing follows Tony, played by James Nesbitt (The Hobbit trilogy, Jekyll) – a man who will do whatever it takes to find his missing child. When Oliver disappears on a holiday in France, Tony’s exhaustive search fractures his marriage to Emily, played by Frances O’Connor (Mr Selfridge, AI Artificial Intelligence), and threatens to destroy his life.

Julien, a French police detective played by Tcheky Karyo (Goldeneye, The Patriot), who launched the initial search for the child, also cannot shake the small belief that he may still be alive. This gripping relationship thriller is told simultaneously over two time frames and is set in two countries. Exploring the emotional cost of obsession, hope and finding when to let go, this thrilling new drama shows the impact of a child’s abduction.

Further casting includes: Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) as Mark, Ken Stott (The Hobbit trilogy, Rebus) as Ian, Arsher Ali (Four Lions, The Guilty) as Malik and Titus De Voogd (Steve + Sky, Any Way The Wind Blows) as Bourg.

Said Taghmaoui (Ziane), Emilie Dequenne (Laurence), Anamaria Marinca (Rini), Eric Godon (Georges), Anastasia Hille (Celia) and Johan Leysen (Sieg) are also in the cast.

Charlie Pattinson, Executive Producer for New Pictures, says: “Harry and Jack Williams have created a wonderfully complex and mature emotional thriller and I am delighted that New Pictures’ first series highlights their work. It’s great that two writers who are new to long-form drama have attracted such an exciting, high-calibre cast.”

John Yorke, Managing Director of Company Pictures, says: “It’s rare to find a new take on the detective drama, so it’s a real pleasure to be involved with a project that both embraces the genre while finding incredibly exciting new ways to play with it. Great writing and a fantastic cast add up to something very special.”

Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz, says: “The Missing is a powerful and poignant story about a father’s determination to find his missing child, and that is something any viewer can understand. The Williams’ scripts gripped us on every page, and we are glad to be working in partnership again with the BBC, Charlie Pattinson and Colin Callender on this very special project.”

The executive producers are Charlie Pattinson, Willow Grylls and Elaine Pyke for New Pictures, John Yorke for Company Pictures (part of the all3media group), Harry and Jack Williams for Two Brothers Pictures, Polly Hill for the BBC, Colin Callender for Playground and Eurydice Gysel for Czar TV. Producer is Chris Clough. The Missing is co-produced with Fortis Film Fund, Czar TV Productions and VRT. Tom Shankland is directing (Ripper Street).

The Missing is due for transmission on BBC One in the UK and Starz in the US later this year.