Army of Shadows adds Olivia Colman and Susan Sarandon to Channel 4 thriller

Olivia Colman and Susan Sarandon have joined Army of Shadows, a six-part Channel 4 thriller set in an occupied Britain. The drama follows people who decide they can no longer carry on with ordinary life while their country is controlled around them.

Their casting adds two Oscar-winning actors to an ensemble already featuring Paddy Considine, America Ferrera, Alex Hassell and Kit Harington. Ronan Bennett, whose television work includes The Day of the Jackal and MobLand, has written the series.

The story begins in a Britain that still looks familiar on the surface. Beneath that apparent normality, flags have changed, the news is constrained and certain subjects can no longer be discussed openly.

A former soldier known as Berry begins assembling a resistance network. Those drawn towards him include a student, a journalist, a radiographer and a soldier, bringing people with very different lives into a shared and dangerous undertaking.

Their opponents include a powerful state, a minister determined to maintain control and an American intelligence operative called Jessie. The drama’s central question is what ordinary people are prepared to risk when refusing to cooperate has consequences.

Despite the title’s wartime associations, this is a new story about occupied Great Britain. Its inspiration comes from Joseph Kessel’s book Army of Shadows and Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film, which depicted the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation of France.

That distinction is important for viewers expecting a straightforward television version of the film. The series uses those earlier works as its foundation while moving the resistance story into a different national setting.

Lisa Gunning, whose directing credits include Black Doves and The Power, will direct all six episodes. The expanded cast also includes Leila Farzad, Luther Ford, Amara Okereke, Patrick O’Kane, Anjli Mohindra, Ed Ashley and Zoë Telford.

For viewers drawn to ensemble thrillers, the appeal is the collision between private lives and the decision to resist. These characters are not simply being asked what they believe, but what they are willing to do.

Channel 4 has announced the new cast additions, but a transmission date has not yet been confirmed. The characters played by Colman and Sarandon were not identified in the casting announcement.