The BBC’s upcoming whaling drama The North Water has landed A-lister Colin Farrell as its star. Deadline reports that Farrell, will play Henry Drax, a harpooner and brutish killer whose amorality results from the harsh, unforgiving world he lives in.
In the series, Drax sets sail on a whaling expedition to the Arctic with Patrick Sumner, a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as the ship’s doctor. Hoping to escape the horrors of his past, Sumner finds himself on an ill-fated journey with a murderous psychopath. While he searches for his redemption, his story becomes a harsh struggle for survival in the Arctic wasteland.
The role of Patrick Sumner is still looking to be filled, but it’s being reported that several top-tier actors are being considered.
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This marks Farrell’s first return to television since the second season of True Detective back in 2015. He previously starred in the breakout hit Ballykissangel for The BBC. He’ll also star in the upcoming film War Pigs from director Tommy Wirkola as well as Guy Ritchie’s Toff Guys.
The series will consist of three hour-long episodes and a 90-minute finale, set in Hull and the ice floes of the Arctic in the late 1850s. The North Water will be executive produced by Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and The BBC’s Lucy Richer. It is a co-production with Rhombus Media, with Niv Fichman also serving as executive producer. It was commissioned by Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, and Patrick Holland, Controller of BBC Two.
Filming is expected to begin this fall.
