ITV commissions eight-part series The Widow

Kate Beckinsale will take the leading role in ITV and Amazon Prime Video Drama The Widow.

The original eight-part drama series written by Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated screenwriters Harry and Jack Williams, the brothers behind The Missing, One of Us and Liar will see Kate Beckinsale play Georgia Wells, a woman who has cut herself off from her previous life and is no longer the woman she once was.

The series will follow Georgia as she is pulled back to face the world, and forced to seek the truth about what happened to the man she loved. Haunted by the past and grieving for all she has lost, she hasn’t given up hope of discovering what really happened to her husband while he worked in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Polly Hill, Head of Drama at ITV, commented, ‘I’m delighted to announce Kate Beckinsale’s casting in The Widow. She is perfect for the role of Georgia in what is, as always, brilliant, compelling and surprising storytelling from Harry and Jack Williams. We’re very pleased to have secured the series which is an ITV original commission and co-production with Amazon Prime.’

Harry and Jack Williams added, ‘Kate Beckinsale is a brilliantly talented actress and we’re thrilled she’s joining us on this journey – we couldn’t imagine anyone more perfect for the role. The Widow is our most ambitious and cinematic piece to date and we can’t wait to bring the dark heart of the Congolese jungle to the screen.’

ITV’s The Widow will be produced by Eliza Mellor (Liar, The Living and the Dead, Poldark, Death Comes to Pemberley) and will be directed by lead director Sam Donovan (Humans, Liar, Utopia) and Olly Blackburn (Donkey Punch, Glue) who is also directing four episodes of the series. Jack and Harry Williams will executive produce the drama.

The series will go into production in January 2018 in South Africa, Wales and Rotterdam.