Working with directors such as Terrence Malick, Michael Mann, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sofia Coppola, Martin McDonagh, Steve McQueen, Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, and many more, Colin Farrell has one of the more interesting filmographies in Hollywood and now he’s collaborating with another great director, this time for a BBC series.
Following up Lean on Pete, Andrew Haigh will direct Farrell in The North Water, a four-part crime thriller for BBC Two, Variety reports. Based on Ian McGuire’s novel, the story is set in the late 1850s in the U.K. and in the Arctic. It follows Patrick Sumner, “a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as ship’s doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic in search of redemption. But instead, he finds himself on an ill-fated journey with Henry Drax (Farrell), a murderous psychopath he meets while on board.”
Described as “a thriller, a survival adventure, and searing study of character and man’s place in the world,” it’ll be intriguing new territory for Haigh after his relatively small-scale prior films. Production is aiming to begin this fall, so expect a 2020 premiere. Farrell can next be seen in Tim Burton’s Dumbo, Guy Ritchie’s Toff Guys, and Tate Taylor’s Eve.