"Oh my god please help me, knee deep in the river trying to get clean..."
Dougray Scott, Milauna Jackson and Martin Clunes are the latest names to have joined the cast of the Sky1/Cinemax action series Strike Back as series regulars for its upcoming season (the fourth for Sky1 and the third for Cinemax), it has been announced. Scott, whose most recent series Hemlock Grove will be debuting in April on Netflix, will play rogue operative James Leatherby. While Jackson (Blood Done Sign My Name) has been cast as a key player who crosses paths with Section 20 and Clunes will also appear as former MI6 agent Sebastian Gray, now an intelligence officer operating out of Beirut. In addition, Sky1 & Cinemax have also confirmed that Robson Green has already been cast as new series regular, Lt Colonel Phillip Lock; the in-coming commanding officer in chief of Section 20. Green’s previous credits include Wire In The Blood, Being Human and Mount Pleasant.
Based on the novel of the same name by Chris Ryan, Strike Back follows the exploits of Section 20, an elite counterterrorism unit as it spans the globe to stop potential threats, often behind enemy lines. The drama series is produced by Left Bank Pictures in association with BSkyB & HBO/Cinemax and stars Phillip Winchester (Michael Stonebridge), Sullivan Stapleton (Damian Scott) and Rhona Mitra (Rachel Dalton), who all return along with supporting players Michelle Lukes (Julia Richmond) and Liam Garrigan (Liam Baxter). Interestingly, Mitra remains involved despite her character resigning as head of Section 20 at the end of last season. In the show’s new season, which is currently in production, counterterrorism unit Section 20 pursues a deadly terrorist network from Colombia to Beirut to Europe, uncovering deadly plots that reach to the West.
As in previous seasons, the production utilizes consultants who work in the field of counterterrorism to add to the authenticity of the series, providing essential background on stories, characters, training and settings. The previous season of the show made its world premiere at Comic-Con in July 2012 and featured the world premiere of two new Bob Dylan songs. The series also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Main Title Design for its first rebooted season, which launched in 2011. Strike Back was the first original primetime series on Cinemax in more than 15 years. The Los Angeles Times described the show as "a buddy movie, a simmering life-or-death bromance between its two male leads," while AOL TV observed, "The heart of the show is the relationship between Scott and Stonebridge," calling them "two peas in a badass pod," and the Huffington Post hailed Stapleton and Winchester as a "dynamic team."
The new ten-part run of Strike Back is being written by a team of returning writers which includes Simon Burke (Persuasion), James Dormer (MI5), John Simpson and Richard Zajdlic (EastEnders). As previously reported, Tony Saint will not be returning as showrunner on the new season as he is developing a new drama series titled The Interceptor for BBC One. Production on the new season is currently underway location in South Africa and Hungary and is being handled by returning directors Michael J. Bassett (who also serves as co-executive producer), Julian Holmes and Paul Wilmshurst. Left Bank’s Andy Harries and Michael Casey are returning to executive produce, whilst James Dormer and Tim Vaughan co-executive produce.
"It is great to be working alongside Section 20 and being part of an 'Elite Team' for Sky," said Green. "Strike Back is a quality drama with incredibly high production values." Sky's commissioning editor Huw-Kennair Jones added: "There really is nothing else like Strike Back on British TV, it's a fantastic series full of explosive action that delivers a mini-movie each week. Working with HBO and [producers] Leftbank we've really upped the ante this year with a truly ambitious, global plot that I hope our customers will relish. I am thrilled Robson, Martin and Dougray have joined the cast for a very special fourth series."
Strike Back is expected to return to US screens in the summer and to the UK late 2013.
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