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An original drama series based on Lucy Clarke’s The Castaways (HarperCollins), starring Sheridan Smith and Céline Buckens, has been commissioned by Paramount+.
Produced by Clapperboard Studios and BlackBox Multimedia, the show will begin filming on location in Greece and Fiji from next month.
The adaptation of Clarke’s thriller sees sisters Lori (Smith) and Erin (Buckens) heading on the holiday of a lifetime in Fiji. After a huge fight, Erin never boards the flight to their tropical resort. However the plane – containing Lori – never arrives at its destination.
Months later, nothing has been found, the search is abandoned but Erin refuses to give up hope. Then Lori’s credit card is used in a corner shop in a remote village in Fiji. On the CCTV, Erin recognises the plane’s pilot so sets out to find him and solve the mystery of her sister’s fate.
Paramount+ said: “Jumping between the two sisters’ perspectives, we follow Erin’s present day investigation and Lori’s struggle for survival following the crash onto a tropical and remote desert island. As dark secrets are revealed both in the past and present day, each shocking twist and turn slowly reveals the truth about what happened to Lori and her fellow passengers – a truth that someone on the island will kill to keep secret.”
Smith is an award-winning actress known for films such as “Quartet”, shows such as “Cilla” and is currently starring as Shirley Valentine in the West End.
Buckens is a Belgian-British actress, writer and director, best known for her role as Talitha Campbell in BBC mini-series “Showtrial” and Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse”.
Clarke also said: “The Castaways promises to be an incredible adaptation; the scriptwriting is electric, and Sheridan and Céline are perfectly cast as Lori and Erin. It is such fun working with the teams at Clapperboard and BlackBox who couldn’t be more passionate about bringing my novel to life.”
Produced by Clapperboard Studios and BlackBox Multimedia, The Castaways sees Ben Harris serve as executive producer on the series and co-lead writer with Polly Buckle and Jesse O’Mahoney. Andy Tohill and Ryan Tohill are directors for the show, with Myf Hopkins serving as the producer.
The series was ordered by Sebastian Cardwell, deputy chief content officer, UK, at Paramount, and will be distributed globally by BBC Studios.
The series is part of Paramount+’s strategy to commission 150 international originals by 2025, and will debut exclusively on the service in the UK. It is is the second adaptation of Clarke’s novels, planned for the service, alongside "No Escape”, which is available on Paramount+ UK from 18th May.
The show joins the expanding slate of UK originals for Paramount+ which includes “The Flatshare” and “A Gentleman in Moscow”.