Colin Firth takes lead in Sky, Peacock’s Lockerbie
The King’s Speech star Colin Firth is set to star in Sky and Peacock limited series Lockerbie.
Firth will play Dr Jim Swire, who lost his beloved daughter Flora in the tragedy and has doggedly pursued justice, along with his wife Jane, ever since.
The series will explore events from the disaster and its aftermath, in which 259 passengers and crew were killed when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, 38 minutes after take off, with 11 residents losing their lives as the plane came down over the quiet Scottish town.
In the wake of the disaster and his daughter Flora’s death, Dr Jim Swire (Firth, left) is nominated spokesperson for the UK victims’ families, who have united to demand truth and justice. Travelling across continents and political divides, Jim embarks on a relentless journey that not only jeopardises his stability, family and life, but completely overturns his trust in the justice system. As the truth shifts under Jim’s feet, his view of the world is left forever sullied.
The five-part series is a coproduction between Carnival Films and Sky Studios. David Harrower (Blackbird, Knives in Hens) is the lead writer, with Maryam Hamidi (Vigil) guest writing an episode.
Meanwhile, Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders) is lead director, while Jim Loach (Save Me) will also direct an episode.
Production will begin this year. Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant are executive producers for Carnival Films. Sam Hoyle is executive producer for Sky Studios. Other executive producers include David Harrower, Liz Trubridge, Jim Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan and Oskar Slingerland. Brian Kaczynski is the producer and Maryam Hamidi is an associate producer.
Lockerbie will be available on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and on Peacock in the US. NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution will handle international sales.
The series is based on the book The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice by Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph, along with multiple other sources.
tagged in: Carnival Films, Colin Firth, David Harrower, Jim Loach, Lockerbie, Maryam Hamidi, Otto Bathurst, Sky Studios