NEW HARLAN COBEN DRAMA CONFIRMED FOR NETFLIX STARRING CUSH JUMBO, JAMES NESBITT AND RICHARD ARMITAGE

- Sarah Parish also set to join the cast -

- Adaptation of Coben's best-selling novel Stay Close comes from the same team behind The Stranger -

Wednesday 28th October 2020: Nicola Shindler, Harlan Coben, Danny Brocklehurst, Richard Fee and Netflix are set to collaborate on their fourth drama - an adaptation of Harlan Coben's #1 New York Times bestselling novel Stay Close. The team behind The Stranger and Safe are producing the new eight-part drama, which will follow three key characters whose dark secrets resurface, setting off a chain of events which threatens to destroy their lives. Cush Jumbo (The Good Fight, The Good Wife, Deadwater Fell), James Nesbitt (Bloody Sunday, The Missing) and Richard Armitage (The Stranger, The Hobbit, Hannibal) are confirmed in the three lead roles, with Sarah Parish (Bancroft, Medici) also joining. RED Production Company (a STUDIOCANAL company) will produce.

Following hot on the heels of the hugely successful limited series The Stranger, which debuted on Netflix earlier this year, Stay Close reunites long term collaborators Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee as executive producers, alongside creator Harlan Coben and Danny Brocklehurst, who is lead writer again. In keeping with previous adaptations, Stay Close will relocate the story from the US to UK shores.

With trademark thrills, gripping suspense, and a crime to solve, Stay Close questions how much you really know someone. Three people living comfortable lives each conceal dark secrets that even the closest to them would never suspect; Megan (Jumbo), a working mother of three; Ray (Armitage), the once promising documentary photographer, now stuck in a dead-end job pandering to celebrity-obsessed rich kids, and Broome (Nesbitt), a detective who's unable to let go of a missing person's cold case. Lorraine (Parish), an old friend from Megan's past, delivers some shocking news which will impact on all three characters. As the past comes back to haunt them, threatening to ruin their lives and the lives of those around them, what will be their next move?

Cush Jumbo said: "I'm so excited to work alongside Netflix, Nicola and the whole team on Stay Close. Can't wait to get my teeth into such a brilliant British thriller."

James Nesbitt added: "The team at RED are a northern powerhouse of world-class TV. They are a benchmark for quality drama, and I'm thrilled to be part of such a great production. The scripts drew me in from the get-go and I am looking forward to starting filming."

Richard Armitage said: "I can't wait to return to Manchester to work with Nicola, Danny, Harlan and the team again. I love Harlan's style and this plot and character will be brilliantly challenging. At a time when we have remained apart; 'Stay Close' promises to break all the rules."

Harlan Coben said: "I am so happy and excited to Stay Close (pun intended) with Danny Brocklehurst, Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee - the same team that made The Stranger, Safe and The Five. And talk about a dream-come-true cast - Cush Jumbo, an incendiary and awesome talent; Jimmy Nesbitt, a legendary actor I always wanted to collaborate with; and wow, Richard Armitage back again! Netflix has been a wonderful home, and from what I've seen so far, Stay Close will be our most gripping and binge-able series yet."

Nicola Shindler, Executive Producer, said; "Working with Harlan, Danny and Richard for the 4th collaboration is a joy as we push each other for more bingeable ideas and twists. Harlan's books and stories are a pleasure to bring to the screen. And we are delighted to have Cush, Jimmy and Richard to bring the characters to life."

Danny Brocklehurst, writer, said: "After the phenomenal success of The Stranger, I'm elated to be collaborating once again with RED, Netflix and the master storyteller Harlan Coben. Stay Close will be a compelling twisty turny ride through the dark heart of suburban life that leaves viewers desperate for answers."

Richard Fee, Executive Producer for RED Production Company: "It's such a pleasure to be setting off on another thrill-ride with Harlan, Danny and Nicola, as we dive into a brand new story about people who keep shocking secrets from their families and closest friends. We're excited to have the opportunity again to hook Netflix viewers around the world with a compelling mystery that will keep people up late into the night."

Sarah Doole, the newly appointed CEO of RED Production Company, added: "Harlan's book and Danny's screenplay create an irresistible cocktail of crime drama - who knew such thrilling secrets and lies lurk in our suburbs? RED is very proud to be bringing this terrific storytelling to Netflix."

Stay Close is the latest Netflix project for Harlan Coben, as part of his current five-year deal with the streamer to develop 14 of his titles into film and TV dramas, which includes Polish original The Woods, Spanish original The Innocent starring Mario Casas and directed by Oriol Paulo, the film Six Years, written and directed by David Ayer, and Gone for Good, which is currently filming in France.

Stay Close is the fourth collaboration for Nicola Shindler, Harlan Coben, Danny Brocklehurst and Richard Fee and RED Production Company, following the success of The Five (Sky/ Netflix), 2018's Safe (Netflix), which starred Michael C. Hall, and current smash-hit The Stranger (Netflix), starring Richard Armitage and Jennifer Saunders.

Stay Close is a RED Production Company production commissioned for Netflix. Nicola Shindler (Years and Years, Happy Valley, Scott & Bailey), writers Harlan Coben (The Woods) and Danny Brocklehurst (Brassic, Come Home) and Richard Fee (The Stranger, Prey) are the Executive Producers of the new eight-part series, created by Harlan Coben, and based on his best-selling novel. Juliet Charlesworth (Happy Valley, Traces) is series producer and Daniel O'Hara (The Stranger, Brassic) is lead director and an executive producer. The series is due to go into production in early 2021 and filming will take place in and around Manchester and the North West of England.

Note to Editors:

RED PRODUCTION COMPANY

RED Production Company, a STUDIOCANAL Company, was founded in 1998 to work with the best writers on modern, innovative, and entertaining programming. The Manchester-based indie has produced some of the UK's most successful and award-winning dramas, including Russell T Davies' Cucumber, Queer As Folk and Years and Years, Sally Wainwright's Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax, Lenny Henry's Danny and the Human Zoo, Dan Sefton's Trust Me, Tony Marchant's Butterfly, plus Traces, written by Amelia Bullmore, and Harlan Coben's Safe, Come Home and most recently Harlan Coben's The Stranger written by Danny Brocklehurst. Forthcoming series include Finding Alice written by Roger Goldby and Simon Nye for ITV, Ridley Road written by Sarah Solemani for BBC and It's A Sin by Russell T Davies for Channel 4.

Sarah Doole joined RED Production Company as its new CEO in October 2020.

RED Production Company is part of STUDIOCANAL's international production network, which includes TANDEM Productions in Germany, STUDIOCANAL Original in France and BAMBÚ PRODUCCIONES in Spain.

STUDIOCANAL

STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe's leader in production, rights acquisition, distribution and international sales of feature films and TV series, and operates directly in all three major European markets, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. STUDIOCANAL is actively developing and distributing high-end TV series through its network of award-winning subsidiary production companies, which includes Germany's TANDEM Productions (Take Two) and the UK's RED Production Company (Safe).

HARLAN COBEN

With over 70 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the perennial number 1 New York Times author of thirty novels including Fool Me Once, Tell No One, No Second Chance and the renowned Myron Bolitar Series. His books are published in 43 languages around the globe. Harlan is the creator and executive producer for several television shows including The Stranger, Safe, The Five, The Woods and coming up on Netflix, two new series based on his novels, The Innocent and Gone For Good.

About Netflix:

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 195 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without adverts or commitments.