PADDY CONSIDINE, AMERICA FERRERA, ALEX HASSELL AND KIT HARINGTON TO LEAD RONAN BENNETT’S ARMY OF SHADOWS FOR CHANNEL 4, STUDIOCANAL AND TWO CITIES TELEVISION
LISA GUNNING TO DIRECT ALL SIX EPISODES
Co -produced by STUDIOCANAL (Playing Nice, Families Like Ours) and Two Cities Television (Blue Lights, Patrick Melrose) and written by BAFTA award -winning Ronan Bennett (The Day of the Jackal, MobLand), filming has begun in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Paris on powerful and provocative new drama series Army of Shadows.
Leading the ensemble cast are BAFTA -winning Paddy Considine (House of The Dragon, MobLand), Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winner America Ferrera (Barbie, The Lost Bus), Alex Hassell (Rivals, Wasteman) and Kit Harington (Industry, Game of Thrones). Lisa Gunning (Black Doves, The Power) will direct all six episodes.
A drama inspired by Jean -Pierre Melville’s 1969 film and Joseph Kessel’s seminal book of the same name, which famously dramatised the emergence of the French Resistance to the Nazi Occupation of France during World War 2, Army of Shadows is a bold new stor y from Ronan Bennett of how resistance takes shape in an occupied Great Britain. The series has been developed and produced with the support of the Melville family and the Kessel estate, which is controlled by the Irish Red Cross.
Britain looks almost normal, but the flags are different, the news is careful, and nobody says certain things out loud anymore. But everyone can feel it. Somewhere beneath the surface of ordinary life something has gone terribly, quietly wrong. Out of the shadows emerges a former soldier known only as Berry, who starts building a secret resistance network. He knows one thing above all else: don't act before you're ready. An unlikely group starts to coalesce around him - people who've decided they can't look away any longer: a soldier, a student, a radiographer, a journalist. Ordinary people, with ordinary lives, making an extraordinary and irreversible choice.
Against them: a state with unlimited reach, a ruthless minister who'll do whatever it takes to maintain “order”, and an American intelligence operative called Jessie, who is very, very good at her job. Army of Shadows is a tense, propulsive thriller about what resistance actually costs. If your country were occupied, what would you do?
Gwawr Lloyd, Interim Head of Drama, Channel 4 says: “Ronan Bennett has created a gripping, provocative and action -packed drama that feels both epic in scale and strikingly relevant. Army of Shadows asks powerful questions about freedom, resistance and the choices people make when democracy is under threat. With a stellar cast lined up under the direction of Lisa Gunning, this is exactly the kind of thought -provoking and high stakes drama that Channel 4 looks to bring to our viewers. We're delighted to partn er with STUDIOCANAL and Two Cities Television on what promises to be an unmissable event series."
Anna Marsh, CEO of STUDIOCANAL and Chief Content Officer of CANAL+, expands: " Inspired by Jean -Pierre Melville’s exceptional 1969 film from our catalogue, and Joseph Kessel’s formative book, we are incredibly proud to have developed this series from inception, attaching an extraordinary cast and creative team to bring ARMY OF SHADOW S into production today. Ronan Bennett's work is thrilling, climactic and important. And we are delighted to now welcome Lisa Gunning who directs all 6 episodes with irrepressible vision and command. ARMY OF SHADOWS is a series that has no limitations across audience, geographies or relevance and in partnership with Two Cities Television and Channel 4 it is a privilege for the teams at CANAL+ and STUDIOCANAL to bring such a visceral piece of television to audiences around the world."
Army of Shadows has been commissioned for Channel 4 by Gwawr Lloyd, Interim Head of Drama for Channel 4 and Gemma Boswell and Rebecca Holdsworth, Drama Commissioning Editors, Channel 4. Executive Producers are Paul Gilbert and M -K Kennedy for STUDIOCANAL T elevision; Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for STUDIOCANAL, with Stephen Wright and Michael Jackson for Two Cities Television alongside Ronan Bennett. STUDIOCANAL developed the series from inception with Two Cities Television, which is part of STV Studios. Al ison Sterling is the Series Producer.
CANAL+ has commissioned the series for their global footprint spanning over 50 countries across France, Europe, Africa and Asia. STUDIOCANAL will handle international sales and worldwide distribution.
Further details will follow in due course.
For further information, please contact:
Harriet Wilson, Publicity Manager, Channel 4 Drama, Comedy and Acquisitions: hwilson@channel4.co.uk
Lydia Bouhamdi, Publicist, Channel 4 Drama, Comedy and Acquisitions: lbouhamdi@channel4.co.uk
For STUDIOCANAL, please contact:
Zoe Flower, Unit Publicist: flower.zoe@googlemail.com
Representative credits:
Ronan Bennett is represented by Charles Collier at Chalcot Square
Lisa Gunning is represented by Olivia Gray at Independent Talent Group
Paddy Considine is represented by Independent Talent Group and WME
America Ferrera is represented by CAA and Peikoff Mahan
Alex Hassell is represented by United Agents in the UK and Gersh in the US
Kit Harington is represented by United Agents in the UK and CAA in the US; attorney Karl Austen
ABOUT CHANNEL 4
Channel 4 exists to create change through entertainment. Publicly owned yet commercially funded, Channel 4 generates signific ant and sustainable cultural, economic and social impact across the UK – at no cost to the taxpayer. The broadcaster’s distinctive remit is set by Parliament, and it has a role to represent unheard voices, challenge with purpo se and reinvent entertainment. For more than 40 years, it has been a British success story, engaging generation after generation of young people.
Working with hundreds of creative companies every year, Channel 4 makes a major contribution to the local, regional and natio nal economy, creating and supporting thousands of jobs and businesses across the country. In 2024, Channel 4 launched its Fast Forward strategy to accelerate its transformation into an agile and genuinely digital -first public service streamer by 2030. It is designed to ensure Channel 4 embraces the generational shift in TV viewing, elevates its impact across the UK and stands out in a crowded market.
From its bases in London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, Channel 4 is fully committed to harnessing the power of its regional structure to increase its impact across the UK. Through its training and development initiative 4Skills is opening u p opp ortunities in broadcasting, with a particular focus on disadvantaged young people and addressing skills gaps across the Natio ns and Regions. 4Skills invests millions in training, development and learning opportunities annually. Through Film4 Productions, Channel 4 also invests in British filmmakers to huge critical acclaim, producing 43 Oscar wins and 97 BAFTA wins in its history.
ABOUT STUDIOCANAL (a CANAL+ Company)
STUDIOCANAL, CANAL+’s in -house studio, is Europe’s leading film and television studio. Through its in -house operations and network of 23 production companies across Europe and the US, STUDIOCANAL finances, produces and distributes around 100 films per year , and produces more than 20 premium local and international series.
STUDIOCANAL owns one of the world’s most prestigious film libraries, including the largest catalogue of European films, with nearly 10,000 titles from 60 countries spanning a century of cinema. Since 2020, the studio has invested €25 million in the 4K rest oration of 1,000 films, including Breathless, The Graduate, Terminator 2, and Love Actually.
Building on the global success of Paddington, STUDIOCANAL is scaling its franchise model through three new labels: STUDIOCANA L Stories, focused on adapting literary hits for film and TV; STUDIOCANAL Kids & Family, dedicated to building children’s enter tainment franchises, and STUDIOCANAL ON STAGE, specialising in adapting films for live theatre.
STUDIOCANAL recently launched its in -house TV production arm lead by Managing Director of STUDIOCANAL Worldwide Television M-K Kennedy. ARMY OF SHADOWS marks the first production for the studio's in house team and as STUDIOCANAL builds upon its strength as a leading film and television studio with worldwide production and distribution capabilities. The studio operates directly across nine major European markets, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the extensive CANAL+ footprint. STUDIOCANAL Television hol ds stakes in 23 production companies and is dedicated to making bold, ambitious, premium television for the global market.
ABOUT TWO CITIES TELEVISION
Two Cities Television was founded with the ambition to produce both returning, event and prestige dramas that are powerful, complex, and have intriguing stories at their heart. With offices in London, Belfast, and New York, Two Cities prides itself on developing a diverse slate of projects with international, UK, and Ireland based broadcasters, streamers, and distributors. Two Cities is creatively led by Joint CEO, Michael Jackson and Joint CEO and Creative Director, Stephen Wright. The company is proud t o be part of the STV Studios group of production labels.
