ViacomCBS’ Channel 5 Preps Thriller ‘The Drowning’ With Jill Halfpenny & Jonas Armstrong From Noel Clarke & Jason Maza’s Unstoppable
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Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong and Rupert Penry-Jones are to star in an identity thriller for British broadcaster Channel 5 from Noel Clarke and Jason Maza’s Unstoppable Film & Television.
The Drowning is the latest drama order for the ViacomCBS network, which has been aggressively ramping up its scripted slate with shows including Cold Call and Penance.
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The Drowning starts when Jodie, played by Liar’s Halfpenny, catches sight of Daniel, played by newcomer Cody Molko, a teenage boy, she is convinced she has found her missing son. Whether she is right or not, in that moment her spark of hope is ignited and she commits to a dangerous and transgressive path that will take her to the edge of reason. How far will she go? How far would any of us go to find a missing child?
Since losing her son eight years ago, Jodie has been rebuilding her life but when she catches sight of Daniel it threatens to up-end the life that she has carefully pieced back together. Jonas Armstrong (Ripper Street) plays Jason, Jodie’s only sibling, the only real support she has had in her life. Always in control, he is a practising lawyer, on the cusp of a huge promotion. Cranford’s Deborah Findlay plays Lynn, Jodie’s mother, with whom she has a fractious relationship. Rupert Penry-Jones (Stan Lee’s Lucky Man) plays his father Mark, an architect that keeps a tight rein on his emotions and on his son’s life.
Filming will take place in Dublin and the four-part drama will transmit on Channel 5 later in 2020.
The Drowning is written by Tim Dynevor (Emmerdale), directed by Carolina Giammetta (Vera) and is produced by Mary McCarthy. The executive producers are Clarke and Maza, who work on Sky’s Bulletproof, Alexandra Stone, and Catriona Mckenzie. It is created by Francesca Brill (Cuckoo) and Luke Watson (Britannia). Sebastian Cardwell serves as the Commissioning Editor for Channel 5. It is produced by Clarke and Maza’s Unstoppable Film & Television in association with All3Media International.
Clarke and Maza said, “We are delighted to be working with the hugely talented Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong and Rupert Penry Jones on The Drowning, which is being lead by the brilliant director, Carolina Giametta. Working with Carolina and our wonderful writer, Tim Dynevor, the creative process has been a joy. We could not be more excited to collaborate with Channel 5 to bring this story to the screen.”
Channel 5 Deputy Director of Programmes, ViacomCBS Networks International UK, Sebastian Cardwell added, “We are thrilled to be working with the team at Unstoppable on this exciting addition to Channel 5’s ever growing drama slate. We hope that audiences will be gripped across the series.”
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