ITV commissions high-octane thriller, Red Eye.

ITV commissions high-octane thriller Red Eye. Starring Jing Lusi, Richard Armitage, Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore. 

Written by Peter A Dowling and Jingan Young, directed by Kieron Hawkes and produced by multi award-winning, Bad Wolf

Red Eye, told over an adrenaline-filled six parts, is set between an all-night flight from London to Beijing, the streets of London, and the corridors of power within Whitehall. 

Starring Jing Lusi, Richard Armitage, Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore the show has been commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill and is British screenwriter Peter A Dowling’s (Black and Blue, Flightplan) television debut, which will exclusively air on ITV in 2024.  

Commented Polly Hill: 

“Red Eye is a brilliantly addictive thriller with an international story taking place on the red eye flight from Heathrow to Beijing. Thanks to Peter’s scripts, the story will have the audience gripped and continually surprised throughout. It’s got a fantastic cast led by Jing Lusi and Richard Armitage, and we are delighted to be working with Bad Wolf on this exciting new show.”

The series will be produced by Wales-based production company, Sony Pictures Television-backed Bad Wolf, founded in 2015 by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner. Award-winning producer Julie Gardner (I Hate Suzie, Doctor Who) will Executive Produce the series alongside Lachlan MacKinnon (Industry, A Discovery of Witches). Fortitude and Power Book IV: Force Director, Kieron Hawkes, will direct all episodes in the series which is produced by Kristian Dench (The Capture, Strike Back).
 
The project has been developed and overseen by Bad Wolf’s Director of Content, Dan McCulloch (His Dark Materials, Endeavour). Sony Pictures Television will be responsible for the international distribution of Red Eye. 

Commented Dan McCulloch: 

“Red Eye is Bad Wolf’s first contemporary action thriller and we’re so happy for it to have found its home at ITV. We’re delighted to be working with such a talented cast. Peter’s scripts are the very definition of a page turner and will keep you guessing to the last minute. The producing team aspire to the highest ambition whilst Kieron Hawkes’ craft and performance-focused direction all makes for true appointment to view TV.” 
 
Red Eye is the collision of three worlds – DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), Journalist Jess Li (Jemma Moore) and MI5’s Madeline Delaney (Lesley Sharp). All three women are thrown into the same life threatening conspiracy when a British doctor (Richard Armitage) is arrested for murder upon flying home from Beijing.

After attending a medical conference in Beijing and coming frighteningly close to dying in a car crash, Dr Matthew Nolan, arrives home and is immediately arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport.  A dead woman was discovered in his crashed car and, despite his protests that he was driving alone, Nolan must return to China to face charges.

DC Hana Li, is the no-nonsense, London officer charged with accompanying Nolan back to Beijing. Born in Hong Kong and with a traumatic past, she does not want to go. So, once ordered, her resentment for this assignment, and of Nolan himself, is intense.

However, when a first death occurs onboard, Hana begins to suspect foul play and she commences an investigation. Further deaths confirm that Nolan truly is in danger, and after a call from MI5, Hana finds herself embroiled in an escalating conspiracy.

Back in London, we follow Hana’s half-sister Jess Li, a scrappy journalist, with whom Hana has a fractious relationship. Trying to cash in on Hana’s assignment, Jess runs her own investigation into Nolan’s extradition and finds herself on the run from a lethal, unknown assassin.

And in Thames House, the head of MI5, Madeline Delaney, breaks protocol and risks her entire career to not only help Hana and Nolan stay alive, but to expose an international conspiracy that seems to implicate both China and people in her own government for the murders on flight 357.
 
Commented Jing Lusi:

“Red Eye marks a turning point in British Asian representation and I am beyond thrilled and proud to be leading this series alongside the wonderful Richard Armitage. Bad Wolf is one of the most exciting production companies in the world, making some of the best loved and most respected shows today; and I’m sure Red Eye will be breaking new ground.” 

Commented Richard Armitage: 

“I’m excited to be boarding Red Eye alongside Jing Lusi. This action-packed espionage thriller is one of the best scripts I have read in a long time. Thrilled to be reuniting with the brilliant Julie Gardner and the team at Bad Wolf and Sony… what a ride!”

Bad Wolf is the multi award-winning production company established to create ambitious, imaginative and relevant drama for the global TV marketplace. 

Enjoying a strong partnership and launched with support from Welsh Government, Bad Wolf founded and supported Wolf Studios Wales, a world class production facility in Cardiff, and Screen Alliance Wales, an education and training scheme to engage with emerging talent to grow, nurture and build skills across the creative industries.

Bad Wolf

Since launching in 2015 Bad Wolf has been at the forefront of international TV drama, producing over 70 hours of high-end drama for HBO, BBC, SKY, ITV, Disney+, AMC and MGM+.  Shows including The Night Of (HBO), His Dark Materials (HBO/BBC), A Discovery Of Witches (Sky / AMC Networks), Industry (HBO / BBC) and I Hate Suzie (Sky / HBO Max) have all gone on to achieve global recognition and win multiple awards at the BAFTA, BAFTA Cymru, RTS, Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. Recent productions include The Winter King (MGM+/ITVX) which has become ITVX’s most successful exclusive production since the launch of the streaming service, and the hugely successful 60th Anniversary Specials of Doctor with BBC Studios for BBC One and Disney+ topping the ratings charts with the Christmas Day special.  Thriller Red Eye will debut on ITV1 and ITVX in the spring of 2024, followed by the first full series of Doctor Who for Disney+ and a third season of Industry scheduled to air on HBO later in 2024. Currently in production is the second series of Doctor Who with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, and six part series Dope Girls for BBC One.  In December 2021 Sony Pictures Television acquired a majority stake in Bad Wolf to become partners in the company’s next phase of international growth.

Notes to Editors: 

British-Chinese actress Jing Lusi has already caught the attention of international audiences for her roles across film and television and has a breakthrough year ahead; on 11th August, Jing will star in Netflix thriller Heart of Stone alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan, directed by Tom Harper. She also has Apple TV’s Spy drama Argylle, directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn and written by Jason Fuchs. Notable screen credits include: Netflix comedy Man vs Bee, DC series Pennyworth, hit British crime drama Gangs of London for SKY, Warner Bros. Crazy Rich Asians, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man for SKY, Amazon’s The Romanoffs, The Feed, Pure, Survivor and SAS: Red Notice.

Hong Kong born, British-Chinese actress Jemma Moore is quickly gaining recognition for her performances in projects such as the critically acclaimed and award-winning horror movie 'HOST' (Dir by Rob Savage 2020), achieving high praise from Empire magazine, who featured her character in their 'The 100 Best Horror Movie Characters' list. Jemma's growing portfolio also includes roles in the likes of 'Shakespeare & Hathaway (BBC, 2019), Doom: Annihilation (Universal, 2019), Wonder Woman (Warner Brothers, 2018) and more recently, the BAFTA Scotland and Royal Television Society Scotland award winning comedy Two Doors Down (BBC, 2022) and Silent Witness (BBC, 2023). With accomplished performances, Jemma is poised to be an actress to watch out for in the coming years.