Jerusalem, the new hyper-realistic thriller from Drama Team for HOT, in association with ITV Studios, has begun filming in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Jerusalem is a human story of conflicting beliefs, power struggles, love, and crime, all in one of the most iconic and historically rich cities in the world, where different faiths and communities simultaneously interact and conflict with each other.

Created by David Ackerman (Blank Bullet), and inspired by work in his previous national security career, the 10-part series follows events in the lead up to the Jewish fast of Tisha Be’av (the day of mourning over the destruction of the Jewish Temple) and the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha (the holiday of the sacrifice) – which by rare circumstance fall on the same day.

Superintendent Amir is a man fluent in Arabic, knowledgeable about Islam and Christianity, and able to walk the tightrope between the different faiths and remain unaffiliated (and yet, affiliated with everyone), all with a single goal in mind: to maintain the status quo, unfortunately at the cost of neglecting his own family. We follow him as he and his fellow officers race to prevent a devastating atrocity in the heart of the ancient Old City.

Jerusalem moves within the maze of narrow, claustrophobic alleyways in this cramped city, but never beyond the suffocating old walls that surround it. The hundreds of security cameras scattered around the city document the violence and rage which could erupt at any moment.  Jerusalem features a fascinating gallery of characters, corruption, and dark secrets, all of which – just like its setting – seem impossible to navigate.

Directed by Ilan Abudi (Stockholm) and produced by Chaim Sharir (Hostages, What Happened In Oslo w-t for Netflix, The Grave) and Mosh Danon (What Happened in Oslo, The Grave, Muna), Jerusalemstars a host of Israeli talent known for their roles in breakout international dramas such as Hostages, Fauda and Our Boys.

Amir is played by Doron Ben David (Fauda) and Shira by Rotem Sela (The Chef, The Psychologist, Autonomies). They are joined by Zvika Hadar (The Pyjamas, Blue Natalie, Shemesh), Anastasia Fein (Juda, The Gordin Cell), Makram Khoury (Messiah, Homeland, The West Wing, Munich), Jalal Masrawa (Fauda, Sirens, Muna) and Hisham Suliman (Baghdad Central, Fauda, Homeland).

Nadav Hanin, VP of Content and Innovation at HOT said, “HOT continues to solidify its activity in the international content market and Jerusalem is yet another step towards boosting Israeli content’s global presence. We are very excited to collaborate with the leading content company ITV Studios on this co-production, which is a vote of confidence in Israeli content. We believe that this show, too, will be loved and well accepted both in Israel and abroad.”

Mosh Danon and Chaim Sharir, producers of the show and chief executives of Drama Team added: “We first unveiled this project at SeriesMania about eight years ago.  From then until today the complex, beguiling reality of Jerusalem’s Old City dictated the writing of the script.  Throughout the process, we took great care to ensure the credibility of the events and the characters, thanks to David Ackerman’s experience and the in-depth and lengthy research he conducted.  In our opinion, no such epic television drama project has ever been produced on this scale before in the Old City and we cannot wait to share it with audiences around the world.”

Julie Meldal-Johnsen, EVP Global Content at ITV Studios said “We’re honoured to be working with Mosh, Chaim, and HOT on this captivating new series. They have conjured together a fascinating, suspenseful, and gripping thriller that will find an immediate place in the canon of acclaimed Israeli drama. The twisting storyline, brilliant cast – in which I include the ancient biblical city of Jerusalem itself – will have a huge draw with audiences worldwide.”

Jerusalem is distributed internationally by ITV Studios. Several of HOT’s original dramas have enjoyed international success, most notably In Treatment (Be Tipul, 2005-2008), which was remade by HBO and became the best-selling international scripted remake of the last decade. The HOT series Euphoria, also remade by HBO, is set to return for a second season and HOT’s psychological thriller Losing Alice, which launched on Apple TV + on 22 January has received rave reviews. HBO Max has also recently taken streaming rights to Uri and Ella and relationship drama The Attaché has been picked up by StarzPlay for 13 major markets including the UK, France, and Brazil. The comedy-drama Nehama has sold to Canal+ and Topic, and the vampire series, Juda, to Hulu. HOT is also the Israeli co-producer of What Happened In Oslo, for Netflix together with TV2, produced by Drama Team, Chaim Sharir and Mosh Danon, and Monster Scripted.