Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt & Richard Armitage To Star In Harlan Coben Adaptation ‘Stay Close’ For Netflix & ‘The Stranger’ Producer Red
By Tom Grater

Tom Grater
International Film Reporter

@tomsmovies
More Stories By Tom

October 28, 2020 2:55pm

EXCLUSIVE: Cush Jumbo (The Good Fight), James Nesbitt (The Missing), Richard Armitage (The Stranger) and Sarah Parish (Bancroft) have been set as cast in the series adaptation of Harlan Coben’s New York Times bestselling novel Stay Close at Netflix.

Nicola Shindler is exec producing the project for Studiocanal-owned Red Production Company, alongside Coben, Danny Brocklehurst and Richard Fee. Creator Coben is penning the eight-episode show alongside lead writer Brocklehurst and Fee. Juliet Charlesworth (Happy Valley) is series producer and Daniel O’Hara (The Stranger) is lead director and an exec producer.


Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben
reps
In keeping with previous Coben adaptations at Netflix, Stay Close will be relocated from the U.S. to the UK. The story follows three people living comfortable lives who 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?

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Deadline first revealed that Netflix and Red were teaming once again on a Harlan Coben adaptation, this time his 2012 mystery thriller Stay Close. The project is the latest in Coben’s five-year, 14-book mega deal with the streamer, following 2020’s The Stranger and Polish original The Woods, 2018’s Safe, and 2016’s The Five.

Upcoming under the pact are Spanish-language The Innocent starring Mario Casas and directed by Oriol Paulo, the film Six Years, written and directed by David Ayer, and French-language thriller Gone For Good, created and written by David Elkaïm and Vincent Poymiro in collaboration with Pauline Guena, Nacim Mehtar and Marion Festraëts.

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.”

“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,” James Nesbitt added.


“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,” said Richard Armitage.

Harlan Coben added, “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 said, “Working with Harlan, Danny and Richard for the fourth 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.”

Sarah Doole was recently appointed CEO of Red. Nicola Shindler is departing the company she founded to launch a scripted label within ITV Studios in 2021.

Richard retweetet den Deadline-Artikel zur neuen Coben-Serie "Stay close", siehe auch hier:
https://twitter.com/RCArmitage/status/1 ... 52676?s=20

Want a character named after you in follow up to smash hit The Stranger on Netflix? Bid for it and help the NSPCC in our online auction! Open now..
https://t.co/KF24BxQLHX #nspccauction #glamourofmanchester @ChildLine_Ball @HarlanCoben @dannybrocklehur #thestranger #stayclose https://t.co/rc2itsUJ0F

Filming begins in Manchester on Stay Close for Netflix
The drama reunites the team behind The Stranger, Safe and The Five

Author: Nia Daniels

Published: 15 Feb 2021

Filming begins in Manchester on Stay Close for Netflix
Cush Jumbo image via Netflix
Filming begins today, 15 February on Danny Brocklehurst’s Netflix adaptation of Harlan Coben’s best-selling novel Stay Close starring Cush Jumbo (pictured), Richard Armitage, Sarah Parish and James Nesbitt.

Eddie Izzard, Jo Joyner, Daniel Francis, Andi Osho, Bethany Antonia, Rachel Andrews and Poppy Gilbert are among the supporting cast.

From Red Production Company, Stay Close will shoot around six months in Manchester and the north west.

The 8 x 60 drama reunites long-term collaborators Nicola Shindler (exec producer), Coben, Brocklehurst (lead writer), Richard Fee (exec producer) and Netflix, the team behind The Stranger, Safe and The Five.

Juliet Charlesworth is series producer and Daniel O’Hara is lead director and an executive producer. Sheila Nortley produces with Lindy Heymann as director for block two.

Warrington Guardian
News5 hrs ago
Film crews at Sankey Leisure for Netflix thriller Stay Close

By David Morgan DMorganguardian
Film crews at Sankey Leisure Centre


A PRODUCTION crew have been on site at Sankey Leisure Centre for an upcoming Netflix thriller.

Red Productions – which was also behind Warrington's Ordinary Lies – is filming Stay Close based on Harlan Coben’s New York Times bestselling novel.
The same team adapted the author's book, The Stranger, for Netflix and Richard Armitage will again star in this new eight-part series about three people whose dark secrets resurface.

These are Megan (Cush Jumbo), a working mum of three, Ray (Armitage), a failed documentary photographer and Broome (James Nesbitt), a detective haunted by a missing person’s cold case.

Author 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."

It is unclear how much Sankey will feature in the production but the crew have been on site for a number of days.

James Nesbitt at St Helens' Dream on set for Netflix TV show
By Kelsey Maxwell @KelseyMaxwell90

COLD Feet actor James Nesbitt has been in St Helens today filming a new Netflix series at Dream.

The actor joined other co-stars to film at the iconic location in Sutton Manor woodland as a set for Stay Close, a new Netflix series airing in Spring 2022.

The show stars Nesbitt alongside Sarah Parish, Cush Jumbo and Richard Armitage and is based on the novel by Harlan Coben.

The Dream is a lasting tribute to St Helens' mining heritage, and was created in 2009 by sculptor Jaume Plensa on the former site of Sutton Manor Colliery.

James Nesbitt will star in the Netflix series, scenes for which are being filmed in St Helens

Gary Conley, a former miner at Sutton Manor Colliery and a member of The Dream focus group, said: "It's all really exciting because when Dream was created we wanted it to be an iconic place like The Angel of the North and become a key location in the area.

"So for a business such as Netflix which is global to recognise it as a beautiful and iconic location for filming their latest TV series is so exciting.

"When I got the call I said yes straight away and had lots of help to make it happen.

"I've been up there today while they were filming there and saw James Nesbitt, there was around 50 to 60 people there, not including the cast, to capture everything and it was great to see.

"They are filming both the outside and inside of Dream, though when it airs it will be somewhat like the Tardis from Doctor Who as they are creating a slightly bigger set for what is the inside of Dream, so it is easier to film in, but they've got some inside and outside shots today.

"I'm thrilled honestly, because after the 10th year anniversary of Dream last year I thought interest in the site would lull but it really hasn't and to have the attention of a huge platform like Netflix goes to show how Dream's history is forever adapting and it can now add filming location to its CV.

"It's really quite an accomplishment for a small town like St Helens and I can't wait to see the final result next year."

This will be the latest Harlan Coben adaptation done by Netflix, with previous series including The Stranger and Safe.

The thriller follows three people living comfortable lives, and who are all concealing dark secrets.