HBO and Sky have given a 2-season order to a jointly produced new legal thriller anthology series, “War,” with Dominic West and Sienna Miller set to star in the first season.
Set in the elite world of London law, “War” stars West (“The Wire,” “The Crown”) as tech titan Morgan Henderson and Sienna Miller (“Anatomy of a Scandal,” “American Sniper”) as his estranged wife, international film star Carla Duval. The series focuses on prestigious rival law firms Cathcarts and Taylor & Byrne as they battle over the divorce of the century.
But, per the official logline, “as the case spirals and loyalties fracture, reputations are on the line, and everyone’s playing to win. This is just the beginning.”
“War” will debut on HBO and HBO Max in the United States, stream on HBO Max in Australia and air on Sky and streaming services NOW/WOW in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. International sales of the series will be handled by NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution. The premiere date will be announced at a later time.
Created and written by George kay, creator of the hit Netflix thriller “Lupin” and the Apple TV+ thriller “Hijack,” “War” has a 2-season commitment from HBO and Sky as part of a deal brokered by Sky. Ben Taylor (“Sex Education,” “Catastrophe”) directs, with New Pictures (“Catherine the Great,” “The Long Shadow”) and Kay’s Observatory Pictures co-producing in association with HBO and Sky.
Season 1 also stars Phoebe Fox (“The Great,” HBO’s “Task”) as Serena Byrne and James McArdle (“Playing Nice,” HBO’s “Mare of Easttown”) as Nicholas Taylor, partners in life and business at Taylor & Byrne. Nina Sosanya (“Screw,” “Baby Reindeer”) also stars as “Her Majesty” Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi, along with Pip Torrens (HBO’s “Succession,” “The Crown”) as St John Smallwood, their counterparts and fierce rivals at Cathcarts. Archie Renaux (“Alien: Romulus,” “Upgraded”) also stars as ambitious lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren.
“I am excited to be working with Sky and HBO — two homes for bold, ambitious storytelling — and our brilliant production team. ‘War’ is a legal drama full of double crossing, scandal, twists and betrayal. The kind of TV show that made me want to write TV shows,” Kay said in a statement.
“George Kay has created an incredibly compelling cast of characters who will have audiences rooting for them, despite the underhand tactics, dirty tricks and win-at-all-cost mentality they bring to battle against each other in — and out — of court. We are incredibly pleased to be trusted by Sky and HBO with a two-series order to bring their stories to viewers around the world,” Willow Grylls, executive producer and CEO of New Pictures, said.
“We are thrilled to be working with George, Ben, Willow and team on ‘War.’ The show is ambitious and provocative, brimming with unforgettable characters. It challenges the notions of power, identity and success. We are proud to partner with New Pictures, Observatory Pictures and HBO on this distinctly modern drama,” Meghan Lyvers, executive director of Original Scripted at Sky, said.
“We’ve long admired George Kay’s exceptional work and it’s a privilege to bring him and his team to HBO for this wild and wicked examination of the brutal battlefield that is divorce. An inspired fusion of realism and satire, viewers are in store for gripping storytelling at its very best,” Francesca Orsi, EVP of HBO Programming and Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, added.
