Filming launches on Sky original drama, Intergalactic starring Savannah Steyn, Parminder Nagra, Eleanor Tomlinson and Natasha O’Keeffe

Intergalactic, a Sky original drama which imagines life off earth, has broken ground on filming. The emotionally-charged sci-fi series is produced by Moonage Pictures and Motion Content Group, in association with Tiger Aspect and bound for Sky One and TV Streaming service NOW TV in 2021.

Savannah Steyn (The Tunnel, Wannabe) heads up a galaxy of stars including:  Parminder Nagra (Bend It Like Beckham, ER), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Sex Education), Natasha O’Keeffe (Peaky Blinders, Misfits), Thomas Turgoose (This is England), and Craig Parkinson (Line of Duty).

Written by award-winning showrunner Julie Gearey (Prisoners’ Wives, Cuffs, Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Intergalactic is the story of rookie cop and galactic pilot, Ash (Steyn). On a trajectory to the top, her glittering career is ripped out from under her when she is falsely imprisoned.

The British drama, filmed at the Space Studios in Manchester as well as on location in Spain, is set at a time in the future where Earth has drastically changed and the entire population is now governed by a global authority, the Commonworld. A fearless gang of high-security female prisoners hijack their transporter spaceship and set off into the galaxy in pursuit of freedom.

Characterful, action-packed and darkly comic, Intergalactic introduces us to characters on the wrong side of the law but perhaps, the right side of history.

• Candy (Tomlinson) is a good-time girl with a double-tongue and a witty one-liner for any given situation. A skill she uses to deflect from the junkie habit that leads to her getting locked up.
• Tula (Duncan-Brewster), a psychopathic, self-styled matriarch who has weaponised her own daughter and leads the band of escapees.
• Prisoner 99450 (O’Keeffe), a mysterious, masked inmate. Unknown to the other criminal cohorts – who is she?

On the other side of the cell doors we meet;

• Arch Marshall Rebecca Harper (Nagra), sharp as a razor and immaculately put together, Harper runs galactic security for the Commonworld.  Her perfect life comes crashing down around her with the arrest of her only daughter, Ash.
• Dr Benedict Lee (Parkinson), Director of the Commonworld and one of the most brilliant minds of the era. Eccentric and socially awkward with an unwavering dedication to science.
• Drew (Turgoose), a chronically bored prison guard caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Across their journey through space, this disparate gang of women will fight, fall in love and betray each other. But one thing is for certain, the further they travel from Earth, the closer they come to understanding who they truly are.

Cameron Roach Sky’s Director of Drama & Sky Studios said: “We are delighted to begin our Intergalactic journey with such an incredibly talented cast. We know that with Savannah Steyn, Parminder Nagra, Eleanor Tomlinson and Natasha O'Keefe at the helm, Julie Gearey's audacious vision for the show will be brought to life in such an incredible way. We cannot wait to see them in action, in the most unique and phenomenal spaceship. With the backdrop of the galaxy, it really does promise to be a high octane prison drama like no other, that we really are confident our customers will love."

Savannah Steyn said: “I’m so excited to be taking on the role of Ash Harper, it’s an honour and an amazing learning experience to be acting alongside such an incredibly talented cast.  I’m humbled to be acting under the direction of such a wonderful team and am loving every moment of the experience.”

Parminder Nagra said: “With such a talented team helming this project, I am absolutely thrilled to be part of Intergalactic and can’t wait to bring Arch Marshall Rebecca Harper to life. With the scripts, costumes, production.. the audience are in for a thrilling ride”.

Eleanor Tomlinson adds: “I’m very excited to be jumping years into the future to take on the role of Candy, the drug mule from the planet Skov. Now that’s not something you hear every day! I’ve long been a fan of Thomas Turgoose and not to mention the formidable Kieron Hawkes at the helm of Julie Gearey’s scripts. But most importantly, there’s not a corset in sight!”

Oliver Coopersmith (Tin Star), Imogen Daines (Black Mirror), and newcomer Diany Samba-Bandza round out the ensemble cast.

Intergalactic was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Sky’s Managing Director of Content and Cameron Roach, Sky’s Director of Drama. Paul Gilbert and Serena Thompson are the executive producers for Sky. Directed by Kieron Hawkes (Fortitude, Power, Strike), the series is executive produced by showrunner Julie Gearey alongside Will Gould for Moonage Pictures and Iona Vrolyk for Tiger Aspect Productions. Frith Tiplady and Matthew Read for Moonage Pictures and Richard Foster and Tony Moulsdale for Motion Content Group are also executive producers. The series producer is Nick Pitt (Black Mirror, Misfits). 

Intergalactic is the latest in a string of recent commissions as Sky continues to invest in original content. Sky has recently committed to more than double its investment in original drama, comedy and documentary through Sky Studios, the commissioning and production arm of Sky. Sky Studios brings to screen unique stories from the very best talent in Europe and is the creative home of Sky’s award-winning and much-loved Sky originals.

Sky originals current roster includes Temple starring Mark Strong, Catherine The Great starring Helen Mirren; a second series of Jez Butterworth’s Britannia and a second series of Save Me starring Lennie James and Suranne Jones. 2019 has been a record year for Sky originals with 10 time Emmy-winning Chernobyl becoming the most watched original ever with over 4 million viewers of the season finale. And away from the screen, Sky secured a record BAFTA haul with seven awards.

International distribution is being led by NBCUniversal Global Distribution and Motion Content Group.

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For further information, please contact Premier:

SJ Peyton
sj.peyton@premiercomms.com | 07808 640 175

Harriet Wilson
harriet.wilson@premiercomms.com 07545 610 017

Megan Ellis
Megan.ellis@premiercomms.com | 0207 292 6451

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Sky

With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 31,000 employees help connect our customers with the very best of Sports, News, the arts and to our own local, original content. Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, Patrick Melrose, Das Boot and Gomorrah we launched Sky Studios and now plan to more than double our investment in original drama and comedy over the next five years.

Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, it is our responsibility to do it safely – that’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.

We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. Our Sky Ocean Rescue campaign has reached millions across Europe, we’re on track to be free of single-use plastic by 2020, we’re investing £25million over five years in ocean-saving tech and we’re a proud employer – recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our approach to inclusivity.

About NOW TV
NOW TV is a pick and mix TV streaming service that lets you choose from a range of passes contract free.

Available anytime, anywhere in the UK, you can watch through a NOW TV Box or NOW TV Smart Stick, or on the web. The NOW TV app is also available on over 60 devices. Whether you’re into big dramas, blockbuster movies, live sports or even just some extra TV for the kids, NOW TV offers four passes which include the latest and best TV and movies: Entertainment, Sky Cinema, Kids and Sky Sports.

This includes Sky Atlantic, over 300 Box Sets on demand, all 10 Sky Sports channels and over 1,000 movies – all available with no contract.

For more information: 

• Visit nowtv.com

• Follow at facebook.com/NOWTV

• Join the conversation on twitter @NOWTV 

About MOONAGE PICTURES

Moonage Pictures was founded by Will Gould, Matthew Read and Frith Tiplady in 2018. Its aim is to create and produce original, unconventional and inventive television and film, for both the UK and international markets. We work with the very best talent, both established and emerging, and have a passion for storytelling in whatever form it comes.

About Tiger Aspect

Tiger Aspect Productions is internationally recognised as one of the UK’s most successful and prolific independent television producers. Producing high profile, multi genre content for both UK and international audiences, current productions include Peaky Blinders (BBC One), Good Karma Hospital (ITV 1), Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father (Netflix), Mr Bean (CITV), Hitmen (Sky One), Man Like Mobeen (BBC 3), and many more. 

About Motion Content Group

Motion Content Group is a global content investment and rights management company. It invests and partners with the world’s leading talent, producers and distributors to fund, develop, produce and distribute premium content. Motion supports editorially and commercially vibrant networks and platforms by helping meet the ever-increasing demand for premium content, for the benefit of advertisers and its content partners. Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, Motion currently operates in 26 countries worldwide and has a broad range of award-winning programming distributed globally. Motion Content Group is part of GroupM, the world’s leading full-service media investment management operation, a WPP company.

Follow Motion on Twitter here: @motion_content and Instagram @MotionContentGroup