“Army of Shadows,” the upcoming BAFTA-winning thriller series from “MobLand” and “The Day of the Jackal” creator Ronan Bennett, set in a near-future authoritarian Britain, has established its main cast.

Leading the cast are BAFTA winner Paddy Considine (“House of The Dragon,” “MobLand”), Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner America Ferrera (“Barbie,” “The Lost Bus”), Alex Hassell (“Rivals,” “Wasteman”) and Kit Harington (“Industry,” “Game of Thrones”). Meanwhile, Lisa Gunning (“Black Doves,” “The Power”) will direct all six episodes.

First announced last year, the series reunites Bennett with British network Channel 4, which commissioned and aired his smash hit “Top Boy.” It is being co-produced by Studiocanal (“Playing Nice,” “Families Like Ours”) and Two Cities Television (“Blue Lights,” “Patrick Melrose”) and has already begun filming in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Paris.

“Army of Shadows” is inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film and Joseph Kessel’s seminal book of the same name, which dramatized the rise of the French resistance to the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. Bennett’s reinvention, developed and produced with the support of the Melville family and the Kessel estate, controlled by the Irish Red Cross, examines the rise of resistance in an occupied Britain.

According to the synopsis, “Army of Shadows” is set in a Britain that “seems almost normal, but the flags are different, the news is careful, and no one says certain things out loud anymore. But everyone can feel it. Somewhere beneath the surface of ordinary life, something has gone horribly, quietly wrong.”

But from the shadows emerges a former soldier known only as Berry, who begins to build a secret resistance network. He knows one thing above all: don’t act before you are ready. An unlikely group begins to gather around them: people who have decided they can no longer look away: a soldier, a student, a radiologist, and a journalist. These are ordinary people with ordinary lives making an extraordinary and irreversible decision.

But against them is a state with unlimited reach, a ruthless minister who will do whatever it takes to maintain order, and an American intelligence agent named Jessie, who is very good at her job. “Army of Shadows is a tense and propulsive thriller about what resistance really costs,” the description reads. “If your country was occupied, what would you do?”

“Ronan Bennett has created a gripping, provocative, action-packed drama that feels both epic in scale and strikingly relevant,” said Gwawr Lloyd, acting director of drama at Channel 4. “‘Army of Shadows’ raises 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, high-stakes drama Channel 4 is looking to bring to the table. to our viewers.

Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and Chief Content Officer of Canal+, added: “Inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s exceptional 1969 film in our catalog and Joseph Kessel’s formative book, we are incredibly proud to have developed this series from the beginning, bringing together an extraordinary cast and creative team to bring ‘Army of Shadows’ into production today. Ronan Bennett’s work is exciting, climactic and important. And we are delighted to welcome “Lisa Gunning, who directs all 6 episodes with irrepressible vision and command.”

“Army of Shadows” has been commissioned for Channel 4 by Lloyd plus Channel 4 Drama Commissioning Editors Gemma Boswell and Rebecca Holdsworth. Executive producers are Paul Gilbert and MK Kennedy for Studiocanal Television, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for Studiocanal, with Stephen Wright and Michael Jackson for Two Cities Television alongside Bennett. Studiocanal developed the series from the beginning with Two Cities Television, which is part of STV Studios. Alison Sterling is the series producer.

CANAL+ has commissioned the series due to its global presence that covers more than 50 countries in France, Europe, Africa and Asia. Studiocanal will handle international sales and global distribution.