Dennis Quaid, Michelle Fairley, Robert Sheehan, Parminder Nagra and Ken Stott join the cast of Sky Atlantic’s danger-filled arctic thriller Fortitude

An explosive new story at the heart of series two of Fortitude will see Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven), Parminder Nagra (ER), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones), Robert Sheehan (Misfits), and Ken Stott (The Missing) join the cast of the acclaimed Sky original drama co-produced by Pivot. With more chilling plot twists the ambitious thriller, set against the breath-taking backdrop of the Arctic Circle, will make a gripping return on Sky Atlantic in late 2016.

The first series of Fortitude is Sky Atlantic’s biggest drama commission to date, with the premiere episode having been watched more than 3.2 million times so far. It was not only a huge hit with Sky Atlantic customers but around the world, where broadcasters in more than 170 territories bought the drama. Fortitude is produced in association with Participant Media’s television network, Pivot, who also handles U.S. distribution for the series. 

Viewers of the second series will enjoy a pacey new story that will see the Arctic town gripped by explosive events. In Fortitude nothing, and no-one, is ever what they seem. A fresh murder rocks the community and plunges it into turmoil. And out in the stunning icy wilderness, nature is growing even more unpredictable, deadly and dangerous.

The esteemed actors will join returning cast members Sofie Gråbøl (The Killing), Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones), Luke Treadaway (Clash of the Titans), Darren Boyd (Stan Lee’s Lucky Man), Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Jar City), Mia Jexen (Happiness), Alexandra Moen (Strike Back), Verónica Echegui (The Cold Light of Day), Sienna Guillory (Stan Lee’s Lucky Man) and Ramon Tikaram (Jupiter Ascending).

Fortitude is one of a number of new Sky original dramas airing in 2016, including among others, the return of gothic horror Penny Dreadful, The Tunnel: Sabotage, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, The Five and brand new drama The Young Pope starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton, and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Sky has over 100 dramas in production or development to complement its acquired content and extend its leadership on screen.

Zai Bennett, Director of Sky Atlantic, said: “I’m incredibly excited to welcome these great names to our already amazing returning cast for the next series of Fortitude. We know our customers love epic dramas and world class storytelling and they appreciate that having the very best actors are integral to bringing these shows to life. Its success around the world is testament to all involved and we are delighted to be working with Pivot again for this second series.”
 
Simon Donald, the creator and writer said: “Sky and Pivot are letting me return to the Arctic with Fortitude II. Given what happened in our story previously this may be somewhat reckless. But with Dennis Quaid, Michelle Fairley, Ken Stott, Parminder Nagra and Robert Sheehan to play with - somewhat reckless should get thrillingly intense."

Belisa Balaban, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Pivot, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Sky once again on this bold Arctic thriller, and to welcome these extraordinary actors into the cozy, twisted world of Fortitude. The second season promises another unexpected journey into this melting glacial landscape.”

The creative team behind the cinematic first series will return with Simon Donald writing the explosive new story. Fifty Fathoms and Tiger Aspect will produce the drama with Sky Atlantic.  Executive Producers for Fifty Fathoms/Tiger Aspect are Patrick Spence (Marvellous, Five Minutes of Heaven), Simon Donald (Low Winter Sun), Faye Dorn (Inspector George Gently) and Frith Tiplady (Ripper Street, Peaky Blinders). For Sky Atlantic, Executive Producers are Anne Mensah and Lizzie Gray. For Pivot, Executive Producers are Jeff Skoll and Chris Loveall.

The first series of Fortitude launched in January 2015 and was broadcast simultaneously across all Sky territories: UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria. As well as being Sky Atlantic’s most successful commission, it was also Sky Vision, the international distribution arm of Sky’s, best-selling show to date. The show has been sold to over 170 territories around the world and the production has been shortlisted for the best ‘International Programme Sales’ category at the 2016 Broadcast Awards.

Principal photography has started in London and the second series will broadcast simultaneously across all Sky territories on Sky Atlantic and in the United States on Pivot in late 2016.

For further information, please contact:

Sky
Dominic Collett
Publicist, Sky Content PR
Dominic.collett@sky.uk
020 7032 4892 

Notes to editors

Sky
Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 21 million customers across five countries: UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.
Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of £4.9 billion. The group employs 30,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).
For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate

Participant Media
Participant Media www.participantmedia.com is a leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for viewers to get involved. Participant’s more than 70 films, including Spotlight, Contagion, Lincoln, The Help, He Named Me Malala, The Look of Silence, CITIZENFOUR, Food, Inc., and An Inconvenient Truth, have collectively earned 50 Academy Award® nominations and eight wins. Participant has also launched more than a dozen original series, including “Please Like Me,” Emmy® Award-winning “Hit Record On TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt,” and “Fortitude,” for its television network, Pivot (http://www.pivot.tv/). Participant's digital hub, TakePart (http://www.TakePart.com), serves millions of socially conscious consumers each month with daily articles, videos and opportunities to take action. Follow Participant Media on Twitter at @Participant and on Facebook.

FIFTY FATHOMS
Patrick Spence set up Fifty Fathoms in 2010 and now runs the company with Katie Swinden, Creative Director.  Fifty Fathoms sits under the umbrella of Endemol Shine.
Productions so far include MARVELLOUS, Pete Bowker's 90' film for BBC2 which transmitted in 2014, starring Toby Jones and Gemma Jones, directed by Julian Farino (Winner, Best Single Film, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress, Bafta; Winner Best Single Film, Best Actor and Best Actress, Golden Nymph / Monte Carlo; Best Writer and Director, RTS; Best Film and Best Actor, BPG; Best Film, Writers Guild Awards and FIPA); and THE A WORD, Pete Bowker’s 6 x 60’ series for BBC1 and Sundance, directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Chris Eccleston, Lee Ingelby and Morven Christie, a co-production with Keshet, which will launch in April of this year.

 
Tiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions, an Endemol Company, is internationally recognised as one of the UK’s most successful and prolific independent television producers. The company portfolio includes Children’s/Animation, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment and Factual/Features genres.

We create a wide range of critically acclaimed and award-winning programming for all the UK’s major terrestrial and non-terrestrial broadcasters.  In addition our creative output now enjoys high profile internationally through commissions for major foreign networks.  Our programmes are shown by a host of broadcasters in hundreds of territories.

Our programming is built on our relationships with the best on offer in UK talent. The company’s belief in nurturing and supporting creativity on every level means that Tiger Aspect consistently attracts the ultimate in on-screen, writing and production talent.
 
Simon Donald – Executive Producer and Lead Writer
THE LIFE OF STUFF earned him both the Evening Standard Best Playwright Award and the London Critics Award for Best New Play when it was produced at the Donmar Theatre in 1993.

In 2006, Simon wrote the thriller LOW WINTER SUN, which starred Mark Strong and won the RTS Award for Best Drama Serial, as well as nominations for a host of other awards.  

Patrick Spence – Executive Producer
Patrick is a BAFTA and RTS award winning executive producer who set up Fifty Fathoms in 2010.
He was until 2010 Head of Drama, BBC Northern Ireland, where he commissioned and executive produced the Bafta, RTS, WGA, BPG and Prix Europa Award winning serial OCCUPATION (Pete Bowker) and the Bafta, RTS and Sundance Film Award winning single film FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN (Guy Hibbert), as well as the Bafta nominated dramas HANCOCK AND JOAN (Rik Cottan), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (David Nicholls) and MURPHY’S LAW (Russell Lewis).  Credits from his earlier career include launching and executive producing WAKING THE DEAD, executive producing SILENT WITNESS; and his first job was as script editor on CRACKER