Susan Sarandon and Olivia Colman are joining Kit Harington in a thriller set in an authoritarian near-future Britain
Ronan Bennett created it from Joseph Kessel's novel and Melville's 1969 film. Filming began in June around Manchester, London, Liverpool and Paris.
Well, here’s a twist for your TV radar: Susan Sarandon and Olivia Colman are both signed on for the upcoming thriller series, Army of Shadows. To make matters even more interesting, you’ve also got Kit Harington—yes, him off Game of Thrones—taking a lead role. This is shaping up to be one of those lineups that practically dares you not to tune in just out of sheer curiosity.
Big Names, Big Moves
If you’ve been keeping an eye on industry chatter, you might have noticed Sarandon in the headlines for reasons other than acting—apparently she’s had some projects pass her by thanks to her political stances. But she’s 79, still racking up gigs, and now headed for the small screen alongside Colman, herself a three-time Oscar nominee who never stays off our screens for long (The Favourite, Broadchurch, The Roses—just pick your flavour).
- Susan Sarandon: Repped by United Agents, Atlas Artists, and Do Mgmt in Italy.
- Olivia Colman: Repped by United Agents and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
- Rest of the cast: Alex Hassell, Paddy Considine, America Ferrera, Leila Farzad, Luther Ford, Amara Okereke, Patrick O’Kane, Anjli Mohindra, Ed Ashley, and Zoë Telford.
Filming started on Army of Shadows in June 2026, with locations around Manchester, London, Liverpool, and Paris.
Setting, Story, and Source Material
The show is set in a near-future Britain that’s turned properly authoritarian—not exactly cheery, but there we are. The story focuses on Berry, an ex-British Army officer who secretly assembles a resistance, grappling with betrayals and messy ethical choices while taking on the role of mentor to a new generation of fighters. IMDb’s synopsis puts a fine point on it: liberation, trust issues, and gritty training montages—which feels about right.
There’s an actual pedigree behind this one. Ronan Bennett created the series, taking inspiration from both Joseph Kessel's novel and Jean-Pierre Melville’s iconic 1969 film (same title). Lisa Gunning is in the director’s chair, and both she and Bennett are handling executive production duties, joined by Paul Gilbert, Ron Halpern, Michael Jackson, Mary-Kathryn Kennedy, Joe Naftalin, and Stephen Wright. Alison Sterling is on board as producer, and Tom Courtney as script producer.