Cast announced as SS-GB adaptation goes into production.
Acclaimed British actor Sam Riley (Control, Maleficent) and actress Kate Bosworth (Still Alice, 90 Minutes In Heaven) are to lead the cast of new five-part BBC One drama, SS-GB.
Set in Nazi-occupied London, SS-GB is adapted from Len Deighton’s intriguing, alternate history novel of the same name, based on the premise that the Germans won the Battle of Britain.
Riley will play lead, British Detective Douglas Archer, who finds himself working under the brutal SS in occupied London. When investigating what appears to be a simple black market murder, ‘Archer of the Yard’ is dragged into a much darker and treacherous world where the stakes are as high as the ultimate outcome of the war.
Bosworth will play American journalist Barbara Barga, who becomes inextricably linked with the murder case that Archer is investigating. A dark and intricate story of moral ambiguity, the series poses the question of what you would do if faced with the choice of collaboration or joining a brutal resistance.
The series, produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd, is written by Bafta award-winners Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (SPECTRE, Skyfall, Casino Royale).
Sam Riley says: “Archer is a compelling and complex character. He is a good guy struggling to reconcile his job as a policeman within the repressive Nazi machine. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have written a gripping screenplay that pays homage to Len Deighton’s novel. I am very much looking forward to working with this talented team.”
Kate Bosworth adds: “I am thrilled and honoured to be a part of this incredible team, bringing an iconic novel to the screen.”
The drama also stars Jason Flemyng (The Missing), James Cosmo (Game Of Thrones), Aneurin Barnard (Cilla) and Maeve Dermody (Serangoon Road), as well as German actor Rainer Bock (Inglorious Basterds).
Director Philipp Kadelbach comments: “I am extremely excited and lucky to be working with such a talented and international cast. Together we are embarking on the enormous challenge of creating an enthralling and thought-provoking fictional world and I can’t wait to start.”
SS-GB will begin production this month (October) and will air on BBC One in 2016.
