Death in Paradise writer's Crookhaven adaptation casts Adolescence, Heartstopper and Vigil stars
The new series is adapted from the popular children's book series by JJ Arcanjo.
The cast for the BBC's upcoming adaptation of JJ Arcanjo's novels, Crookhaven, has been announced.
Created by Death in Paradise's Justin Young, the broadcaster has announced the series will be helmed by Vigil's Dougray Scott, who viewers might also also recognise from Mission Impossible II.
Scott is set to play Caspian Lockett, the headmaster and leader of Crookhaven, the school for crooks the eight-episode series centres around.
Scott said in a statement: “I am thrilled to get started on this fantastic family drama. I am really looking forward to working with all of the extremely talented people on this production and bringing this role to life.”
Industry's Claire Forlani is set to play his mysterious wife Carmen, with Keith Allen (Trainspotting) and Naomi Wirthner (Slow Horses) also confirmed.
The students, or Crooklings, will be played by an ensemble cast including Lucas Leach (FBI International) as Gabriel Avery, Carmel Laniado (The Witcher) as the Headmaster's daughter, and Gabriel's rival, Penelope, Amari Bacchus (Adolescence) and Leila Khan (Heartstopper).
Young said: “From the moment my daughters and I read the first Crookhaven book, I knew it had the potential to be a thrilling, timeless series for the whole family.
"Bringing the Crookhaven world to life has been a glorious adventure, and it’s both an honour and a thrill to be working with such an extraordinarily talented cast and crew — truly a dream mix of industry legends and dazzling new faces.”
Tali Walters, Creative Director at BBC Studios Kids and Family productions, says: “Dougray’s track record of portraying characters who operate in morally grey areas, to which he brings intensity and emotional complexity, matches perfectly with the spirit of Caspian.
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"Alongside Dougray, we have an exciting ensemble of young talent, the next generation of actors already making their mark and I’m incredibly proud of the cast we’ve put together. It is testament to the exceptional scripts penned by Justin and the fantastic storytelling of JJ, who has created multidimensional and memorable characters, that will resonate with audiences of all ages.”
Patricia Hidalgo, Director BBC Children’s and Education added: “Crookhaven, an adaptation from the already successful books will make a gripping Kids & Family TV Drama series, with intriguing characters, ingenious plot twists and dark secrets.
"We know it will resonate strongly at home and abroad, and we could not be more excited to bring such high end production together with a tremendous wealth of acting talent to our line up.”
Filming is already underway in Belfast.
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