Netflix Limited Series Eric Takes Shape

Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast to lead the six-part thriller Eric, from writer Abi Morgan, alongside Gaby Hoffmann and McKinley Belcher III.

Set in 1980s New York, Eric is an emotional thriller following the desperate search of a father when his 9-year-old son disappears one morning on the way to school.

Filming has started on the series, which will film in Hungary and New York. It is produced by Sister (Chernobyl, This Is Going To Hurt, Landscapers) and co-produced by Little Chick (The Split).

Morgan, creator, writer and executive producer, said: “Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York and the good, bad and ugly world of Vincent, a genius puppeteer on one of America’s leading kids TV shows. The chance to work with Benedict and the creative team at Sister and Netflix is irresistible. With Lucy Forbes at the directorial helm, I feel fortunate to be working at a time of such great creativity in our industry. Fingers crossed, Eric will be a welcome addition.”

Executive Producers Jane Featherstone and Lucy Dyke said: “When Abi first pitched Eric to us, it gave us goosebumps. It is an extraordinary piece of writing inspired by Abi’s experience of New York in the mid-1980s, a city rotten to its core but on the cusp of change. She writes both a tense thriller and an intimate portrait of a delusional father searching for his child, shadowed by a monster named Eric. We are thrilled that Eric will be led by the multi-award-winning Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by the brilliant Lucy Forbes. Eric is set to be an incredibly unique and special limited series, and we are overjoyed to be collaborating once more with our long-time creative partner Abi on it.”