Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston and Sofie Grabol lead the cast of Sky Atlantic’s most ambitious drama to date: Fortitude
Richard Dormer, Jessica Raine, Luke Treadaway, Nicholas Pinnock & Johnny Harris also star in the series which will premiere exclusively on Sky Atlantic HD
Sky today continues its commitment to original British drama with the announcement of an outstanding cast for its most ambitious production to date, Sky Atlantic HD’s FORTITUDE.
Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones, The Hunger Games), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, The King’s Speech), Christopher Eccleston (Thor: The Dark World, Lucan), Sofie Gråbøl (The Killing), Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones, Good Vibrations), Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife, The Woman In Black), Luke Treadaway (Clash of the Titans), Nicholas Pinnock (Top Boy) and Johnny Harris (This is England) will star in FORTITUDE, which is centered on a mysterious death in the Arctic Circle and will be filmed in Iceland and the UK.
Stuart Murphy, Director, Sky Entertainment Channels, said: “Sky brings customers quality entertainment like no one else and 2014 is going to be our biggest year yet. We will be commissioning drama at a world class scale and ambition and FORTITUDE is the first of those pieces. Set against the beauty of the Arctic landscape, it tells the story of an apparently idyllic community coming to terms with a murder at its heart. This will be cinematic drama on a grand scale with a cast of truly great actors.”
Julia Barry, Director, Sky Atlantic HD added: “Our audience loves great, world-class story-telling and so FORTITUDE is a perfect fit for Sky Atlantic. We’re thrilled to welcome Stanley - in his first British television role – and the rest of this amazing group of actors to the channel.”
FORTITUDE is a place like nowhere else. Although surrounded by the savage beauty of the Arctic landscape, Fortitude is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now. In such a close-knit community a murder touches everyone and the unsettling, mysterious horror of this crime threatens the future of the town itself.
The local Chief of Police, Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Dormer), has to investigate alongside DCI Morton (Tucci), the detective who has flown into Fortitude so fast that questions are being asked about how much he knew, and when. As these two cops try to make sense of the killing, each finds compelling reasons to mistrust and suspect the other.
The murder is a catastrophe for Hildur Odegard (Gråbøl), the town’s Governor. It threatens her ambitious plans to transform Fortitude from a mining town into a site for high-end tourism. And for Henry Tyson (Gambon), a wildlife photographer who only has weeks left to live, the murder is the catalyst to unearthing Fortitude’s darkest secret.
Also key to the story are Charlie Stoddart (Eccleston), an English scientist who heads up the Arctic Biology department at the Fortitude Arctic Research Centre, talented young scientist Vincent Rattrey (Treadaway), the newest member of Burke’s team, and Jules Sutter (Raine), who is married to Frank Sutter (Pinnock), Fortitude’s chief search and rescue pilot.
As the cold Arctic darkness gives way to endless summer nights, this apparently idyllic community struggles to make sense of the murderous horror that has been let loose in its heart.
Created and written by Simon Donald (Low Winter Sun), FORTITUDE is the next major step in Sky’s continued investment in original content and will be solely funded by the broadcaster. Sky Vision will be handling international distribution, including the US.
Tiger Aspect Productions Limited under its Fifty Fathoms Label will produce the 12 x 1 hour drama with Sky Atlantic. Executive Producers for Fifty Fathoms/Tiger Aspect are Patrick Spence (Five Minutes of Heaven, Occupation), Simon Donald, Andrew Woodhead (Spooks, White Girl) and Frith Tiplady (Ripper Street, Peaky Blinders). For Sky Atlantic, executive producers are Anne Mensah and Cameron Roach.
Other key production crew include Series Producer Matthew Bird (The Street), lead director Sam Miller (Luther, Good Cop) and production designer Gemma Jackson (Game of Thrones, John Adams).
FORTITUDE will be shot on location in early 2014 and will transmit exclusively on Sky Atlantic HD in late 2014. Sky Atlantic is available to all Sky TV customers and through NOW TV with the NOW TV Entertainment Month Pass.
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For further information please contact
Luke Morrison - Publicity Manager, Sky Atlantic HD
T: 020 7032 1479
E: Luke.Morrison@bskyb.com
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T:
E: claire.wilson@bskyb.com
Notes to editor
About Sky
Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company. Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.
Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.5 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News. Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes. More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.
Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator. Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.
Sky distributes its content broadly over several platforms, including satellite, cable, IPTV, mobile and WiFi. NOW TV, Sky’s second consumer brand, builds on the company’s leadership in internet TV. Sky is also the UK's fastest-growing home communications company and favourite ‘triple-play’ provider of TV, broadband and home phone.
Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts. Sky employs 24,000 people, has annual revenues of £7.2 billion and is estimated to support a £5.9 billion contribution to UK GDP. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY).
About Fifty Fathoms
The Fifty Fathoms Label was set up by Patrick Spence in 2010. It is a boutique label, producing drama for British and international broadcasters.
At Fifty Fathoms, we create an environment in which a writer can deliver their boldest work; and we will do whatever it takes to champion and protect the uniqueness of their vision.
Writers we are working with include: Ronan Bennett, Peter Bowker, Clara Brennan, Bill Gallagher, Guy Hibbert, Robert Jones, Lucy Kirkwood, Graham Moore, Ashley Pharoah, Simon Stephens, Heidi Thomas and Jack Thorne. We are developing scripts for the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Sky. Fortitude is our first commission.
Fifty Fathoms sits under the umbrella of Tiger Aspect Productions and Endemol.
About Tiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions, an Endemol Company, is internationally recognised as one of the UK’s most successful and prolific independent television producers. The company portfolio includes Children’s/Animation, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment and Factual/Features genres.
We create a wide range of critically acclaimed and award-winning programming for all the UK’s major terrestrial and non-terrestrial broadcasters. In addition our creative output now enjoys high profile internationally through commissions for major foreign networks. Our programmes are shown by a host of broadcasters in hundreds of territories.
Our programming is built on our relationships with the best on offer in UK talent. The company’s belief in nurturing and supporting creativity on every level means that Tiger Aspect consistently attracts the ultimate in on-screen, writing and production talent.
About Simon Donald – Executive Producer and Lead Writer
THE LIFE OF STUFF earned him both the Evening Standard Best Playwright Award and the London Critics Award for Best New Play when it was produced at the Donmar Theatre in 1993.
In 2006, Simon wrote the thriller LOW WINTER SUN, which starred Mark Strong and won the RTS Award for Best Drama Serial, as well as nominations for a host of other awards.
He has since gone on to developing his own series THE DEEP for the BBC.
About Patrick Spence – Executive Producer
Patrick was until 2010 Head of Drama, BBC Northern Ireland, where he commissioned and executive produced the Bafta, RTS, WGA, BPG and Prix Europa Award winning serial OCCUPATION (Pete Bowker) and the Bafta, RTS and Sundance Film Award winning single film FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN (Guy Hibbert), as well as the Bafta nominated dramas HANCOCK AND JOAN (Rik Cottan), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (David Nicholls) and MURPHY’S LAW (Russell Lewis).