It’s time. Another Harlan Coben production is officially underway in Greater Manchester, and after all the success the author has had in our region, another Michelle Keegan-headed series is set to take the world by storm. In a new eight-episode limited series adaptation of Harlan Coben’s 2007 novel, you’ll be able to explore The Woods for yourself.
Now in production in Manchester and the North West of England, the new series was written by Danny Brocklehurst, fresh off the massive successes of his previous Coben adaptations, like Fool Me Once, and, most recently, Run Away. The new series stars Tom Bateman, Michelle Keegan, Mandeep Dhillon, Pearce Quigley, and more.
What is The Woods about?
Produced in partnership with Manchester’s Quay Street Productions, part of ITV Studios (Fool Me Once, Run Away, After the Flood), The Woods is a chilling mystery with a romantic core. “I think the themes, especially the long-lost-love aspect between Paul and Lucy will resonate with readers,” Coben told Tudum.
“I was thinking about those brief romances, those intense summer loves, and what could happen when those yearnings never fully fade away. Paul and Lucy were just that, an intense summer-camp romance, but because they ended up ripped apart in a shocking tragedy, they still wonder ‘what if.'”
Twenty years ago, Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland’s sister, Camille, vanished from a summer camp in the woods, a loss that tore his family apart. Now a top barrister and devoted single father to ten-year-old daughter Cami, Cope appears to have rebuilt his life.
But when the body of a man turns up — twenty years after he was supposedly murdered alongside Camille — Cope becomes convinced his sister may have made it out of the woods alive too. Determined to uncover the truth, Cope begins a search for answers, unearthing years of lies, cover-ups, and family secrets that threaten to destroy everything he has built.
Who is in the cast of The Woods?
The cast of The Woods includes:
- Tom Bateman (The Love Hypothesis, Hedda) as Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland
- Michelle Keegan (Fool Me Once, Brassic) as Lucy Silverfield
- Mandeep Dhillon (MobLand, After Life) as Loren Muse
- Pearce Quigley (Small Prophets, The Gentlemen) as Ira Silverfield
- Rade Sherbedgia (Slow Horses, Downton Abbey) as Uncle Sosh
- James Buckley (The Inbetweeners, Rock & Chips) as Lonnie Berger
- Shannon Watson (Outrageous, The Jetty) as Shannon Johnson
- Pamela Nomvete (Nightsleeper, Andor) as Mrs. Peters
- Kerry Howard (Witless, Him & Her) as Greta
- Roger Barclay (Industry, Andor) as EJ Jenrette
- Simon Lowe (Kirkmoore, Miss Scarlet and the Duke) as Bob Cole
- Dean Fagan (Time, Missed Call) as DS Steve York
- Tom Allen (Titanique, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice) as Flynn Hickory
- Tracy-Ann Oberman (Run Away, Friday Night Dinner) as Jessica Kinberg
- Charlotte Beaumont (Broadchurch, Call the Midwife) as DC Daisy Dillon
- Christopher Harper (Call the Midwife, Endeavor) as Wayne Steubens
Michelle Keegan sees her role as a big departure from playing former military pilot Maya Stern in Fool Me Once. “Lucy is a totally different character to Maya,” she tells Tudum. “She’s a little damaged and never found true peace. She believed that by moving away and having a successful career, she could escape the past, but somehow it never leaves her.”
When will The Woods be on Netflix?
There’s no word yet on a release date for The Woods, but the series is now in production in Greater Manchester and the wider North West.