Sky’s 1970s political drama Guerrilla starring Idris Elba has added Penny Dreadful’s Rory Kinnear and Fresh Meat’s Zawe Ashton to its cast.
Line of Duty’s Daniel Mays and Getting On’s Babou Ceesay will also appear in the series, which focuses on black activism in London.
The six-part series is co-produced by Elba and written by John Ridley, who won a best adapted screenplay Oscar for 12 Years a Slave.
The story revolves around two lovers played by Ceesay and Slumdog Millionaire’s Frida Pinto who set up an underground cell after freeing a political prisoner.
Kinnear will play one of two officers assigned to a Special Branch unit dedicated to eliminating all forms of black activism in London, the real-life Black Power Desk, while Ashton plays a community leader called Omega.
Ridley said: “I have wanted to tell this story for many years and I feel a great sense of responsibility towards the people and era that we are portraying. We have been given a rare opportunity to explore the kind of narrative that we do not usually see on television, and with the kinds of artisans who are not typically represented. I am extremely grateful and inspired by the brilliant and dedicated actors who have recently joined our team.”
Shooting will begin this week in London, and the series will be shown next year on Sky Atlantic and US network Showtime.
