EXCLUSIVE: Bella Ramsey has set their subsequent position – because the titular daughter in Daisy Haggard‘s Channel 4 thriller drama Maya. We will additionally reveal Haggard will make her directorial debut within the Two Brothers Photos-produced present, alongside co-director Jamie Donoughue (Physician Who).
Time and The Final of Us star Ramsey will co-lead the six-part sequence alongside BAFTA-nominated Again to Life star Haggard, who’s the author and creator.
Ramsey will play Maya, the teenage daughter of Anna (Haggard). The pair depart their lives in London and are pressured right into a witness safety program with new identities in a small rural Scottish city. The trauma of their previous continues to hang-out them because the try and settle into a brand new life, with two hitmen intent on monitoring them down.
Channel 4 unveiled the sequence again in February, as a part of a drama slate additionally together with a brand new model of A Lady of Substance, whose authentic sequence stays the UK community’s most-watched drama so far, and Adolescence author Jack Thorne’s newest sequence, Falling.
Maya is being billed as atmospheric, darkly comedian, aping the nice and cozy and humorous type of Haggard’s earlier reveals, which embody the Two Brothers-made Again to Life and FX comedy Breeders. Themes within the sequence embody predatory male habits, household and love, and the unbreakable bond between a mom and her daughter.
Taking pictures is happening fully in Scotland later this 12 months, with additional casting introduced in the end.
“This story and these characters Daisy has created are so alive, nuanced, wickedly humorous and scarily darkish,” mentioned Ramsey. “Each character jumps off the web page, the dialogue is extremely witty and I’m so excited to get to play Maya reverse Daisy’s Anna.”
Ramsey’s star continues to rise with the position, and comes after Season 2 of HBO’s drama The Final of Us got here to an in depth within the U.S. with a cross-platform viewers of three.7 million. Final 12 months, we reported they’re set to painting notorious British terror suspect Samantha Lewthwaite, aka the White Widow, in Bruce Goodinson’s Lady Subsequent Door and was additionally forged alongside the likes of Louis Partridge and Ruby Stokes in George Jaques’ Sunny Dancer. They’ve appeared in BBC kids’s sequence The Worst Witch and Netflix’s animated present Hilda, however first broke by way of into the mainstream for his or her position because the fearless Lyanna Mormont in Recreation of Thrones earlier than touchdown the lead position in The Final of Us.
Maya is not going to be the primary time Haggard and Ramsey have performed mother-daughter roles on-screen, coming after the previous performed Johanna, guardian of Ramsey’s titular chief within the Netflix sequence Hilda.
“Ever since I first dreamt up this present, there has solely ever been one Maya,” mentioned Haggard. “I wrote the half with Bella so clearly in my head and I actually nonetheless can’t consider they need to be a part of it. Bella is pure magic, simply insanely gifted, and I can’t await us to work collectively. I’m additionally thrilled to be taking the leap into directing, and excited to have the chance to co-direct the sequence alongside the good Jamie Donoughue.”
Haggard first got here to prominence by way of roles in BBC comedies Uncle and Episodes, earlier than she co-wrote and starred in BBC Three comedy Again to Life for 2 seasons. She starred reverse Martin Freeman in parenthood comedy sequence Breeders, which ran for 4 seasons, and appeared in Hilda. She additionally starred reverse to Peep Present‘s Paterson Joseph in BBC drama Boat Story, one other Two Brothers sequence.
Maya was among the many ultimate commissions Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama Madden made earlier than it emerged final month he’s shifting to Netflix in October. He ordered the present alongside Gemma Boswell, Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor, Drama. All3Media-owned Two Brothers is the producer, in affiliation with All3Media Worldwide, which has worldwide gross sales.
Boswell mentioned: “We’re thrilled to have Bella be a part of the forged of Maya. It’s testomony to the wit and depth of Daisy’s writing to entice such implausible expertise and we are able to’t wait to see the dynamic of Maya and Anna on-screen.”
Haggard is creator and author and serves as an govt producer, together with Harry and Jack Williams, Sarah Hammond, Alex Mercer and Daisy Mount for Two Brothers. Kenny Tanner is Producer, Donoughue is co-director and co-executive producer and Shaheen Baig is casting director.
Two Brothers is among the many UK’s most-prolific drama homes, having made reveals akin to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Prime Video and BBC comedy-drama Fleabag, ITV’s Liar, BBC detective drama Baptiste, Boat Story for the BBC and Prime Video, and The Vacationer, which stars Jamie Dornan and is for the BBC, HBO Max, Stan and Netflix.
Two Brothers’ Mount and Mercer added: “Bella Ramsey is among the most unimaginable skills of their era and the one Maya we had in thoughts to play alongside Daisy’s Anna. The 2 characters share such a singular and particular relationship and are the guts and soul of the challenge and we all know Bella and Daisy will deliver them to life in a means that may resonate deeply with viewers.”
Haggard is represented by B-Facet, Lark, UTA and Tapestry and Ramsey by Conway van Gelder Grant, Tapestry and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.
