Colin Farrell Boards BBC Two Thriller The North Water

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Golden Globe winner Colin Farrell (In Bruges, Widows) has come on board the BBC Two four-part thriller The North Water, set in the U.K. and the ice floes of the Arctic in the late 1850s.

Based on a novel from Ian McGuire, the series is being adapted and directed by Andrew Haigh (Lean On Pete, Looking, Weekend). Farrell plays Henry Drax, a harpooner and brutish killer who crosses paths on a whaling expedition to the Arctic with Patrick Sumner, a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as the ship’s doctor.

The story is being brought to the screen by See-Saw Films (Top of the Lake, Top of the Lake: China Girl).

Haigh said: “Casting the right leads is the most important part of any project and I’m thrilled to have Colin Farrell on board. I am a huge admirer of his work and can’t wait to see him bring Drax vividly to life.”

See-Saw Films COO Hakan Kousetta and Head of Television Jamie Laurenson added: “The North Water is a thriller, a survival adventure, and searing study of character and man’s place in the world. We are so proud to have the compelling talent of Colin Farrell on board to bring Andrew Haigh’s vision of Ian McGuire’s novel to the screen.”