LONDON — Following the critical and commercial success of Season One, Fox Networks Group (FNG) Europe & Africa announced today the cast and start of production on Season Two of the contemporary espionage thriller, Deep State.
FNG Europe & Africa’s first regionally scripted commission, Season One was praised as a “relevant and punchy,” “gripping, grown-up intelligent thriller” with “cinema-quality production” and “high-octane drama”. Airing in over 50 countries, the series doubled the prime time average audience on FOX across Europe and Africa, and was the most viewed show on premium network EPIX, its home in the US.
Film and television veteran Walton Goggins (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Tomb Raider, Mazerunner) joins the cast as star and serves as an executive producer on the returning season. Goggins portrays Nathan Miller, a former CIA operative who now works in the private sector as a “Michael Clayton like” fixer for the deep state.
“Coming off his sensational box-office year, with the successes of Ant-Man and the Wasp and Tomb Raider, we are thrilled to have Walton Goggins join our team,” said Sara Johnson, Vice-President of Scripted, and Executive Producer for FNG, Europe & Africa. “He brings the highest calibre of experience to Season Two.
Led by the creative vision of Matthew Parkhill and the expertise of Hilary Bevan Jones, Paul Frift and the team at Endor, Deep State stretches the traditional boundaries of the contemporary espionage genre and continues the rich history of compelling entertainment content that has made 21st Century Fox a leading entertainment brand globally.”
Goggins joins additional new cast members Victoria Hamilton (The Crown, Doctor Foster) as Meaghan Sullivan, a Republican US Senator who is determined to bring the illicit activities of the deep state to light; new talent Lily Banda (The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind) is Aicha Konaté, a Malian aid worker, intent on improving things for her country; and Shelley Conn (Liar, Heartbeat), who plays Nathan Miller’s ex-wife.
Returning cast members for the second season include: Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones, Skins) as Harry Clarke; Karima McAdams (Fearless, Vikings) as Leyla Toumi; Alistair Petrie (The Night Manager, The Terror, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as George White and Anastasia Griffiths (Once Upon a Time, The Wrong Mans) as Amanda Jones. Production takes place in South Africa, Morocco and the UK, with the series set to premiere globally in 2019.
The second season will expand and delve deeper into the murky world of the deep state. Having failed in the Middle East, those powers are now turning their attention to Sub-Saharan Africa and the scramble to plunder its natural resources. This is the first dirty war over clean energy. The series will also explore the origin stories of some of our favourite characters from Season One alongside witnessing the fall of a hero, and orchestrating the making of a terrorist in the eyes of the West.
“At the heart of this project is this major new character, Nathan Miller, an ex-CIA agent, who now acts on behalf of the deep state,” said showrunner Matthew Parkhill. “Our aim for the show is to move beyond the first season, expanding the shadowy world of the deep state and encourage viewers to delve deeper into how it goes about ruthlessly achieving its goals.”
“There’s just so much more to tell, and to be able to continue this epic Deep State story and the tough choices that surround the economies of war is incredibly thrilling,” said Hilary Bevan Jones of Endor Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company. “We’re thrilled to have Walton, Victoria and Lily joining Joe, Karima, Alistair and Anastasia, and through Walton’s character, we delve behind the deep state curtain and see the personal costs at which these jobs come.”
Matthew Parkhill (Rogue) continues to be the creative heart of the show, in his role as executive producer, co-creator, writer, director and showrunner with Emmy-award winning powerhouse producer Hilary Bevan Jones (Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, State of Play, The Escape Artist) continuing as executive producer. Director Joss Agnew (Poldark, Mr Selfridge) and BAFTA Award winning producer Paul Frift (Victoria, Room at the Top), both join the team for the second season. Simon Maxwell (American Odyssey) returns as co-creator and executive producer.
Rounding out the executive producing team are Walton Goggins, Alan Greenspan, Helen Flint and Sara Johnson for Fox Networks Group, Europe & Africa. Matthew Parkhill heads the writing team and is joined by Chris Dunlop, Joshua St Johnson, Simon Maxwell and Steve Thompson.
The creative team has also been confirmed, which includes director of photography Nic Lawson, Kelly Hendry CDG CSA, costume designer Rachel Walsh and hair and make-up designer, Amy Stewart who each return for season two. Nick Dance, director of photography and Steve Summersgill, production designer, round out the accomplished crew.
Walton Goggins is represented by Darris Hatch Management and ICM Partners. Endor Productions is a Red Arrow Studios company. Fox Networks Group Content Distribution hold global distribution rights for the series.
Across the region, FNG Europe & Africa operates 152 channels as well as numerous digital services, from 25 offices, broadcasting in over 50 countries. Through genre defining channel brands FOX, FOX Sports and National Geographic, FNG Europe & Africa is watched by over 250 million viewers in 150 million households making it the pan-regional leader for entertainment, factual and sports programming.
