As a fan who has grown up watching Keira Knightley grace the silver screen with her charm and elegance, it’s an absolute delight to see her step into the world of television and action-packed thrillers like Black Doves. It seems that Joe Barton, the creator of this series, has a knack for writing complex characters that resonate deeply with audiences, especially Knightley’s character Helen Webb.
[This story contains some spoilers from Black Doves.]
In most Hollywood films and television shows, it’s usually a tragic turn for spies who are in love. Ultimately, they either break trust or have to eliminate their lovers due to unyielding professional obligations.
As the creator of the Black Doves series, I didn’t shy away from delving deep into the personal lives of my characters, particularly Keira Knightley as dedicated wife and spy Helen Webb, and Ben Whishaw’s character Sam Young, a fellow spy and assassin. I found it essential to explore their love and relationships in the storyline of our Netflix Christmas thriller now streaming.
As a devoted fan, I’d express it like this: In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Barton shared his creative process behind the first season of Black Doves. He yearned to deviate from the glamorous, high-stakes world of John Le Carré’s Cold War espionage, instead choosing to bring to life two ordinary individuals navigating a heightened landscape of espionage, violence, and intrigue – mere mortals, thrust into this extraordinary realm.
If you’re up for some suspenseful drama, check out “The Day of the Jackal” on Peacock, a 10-episode thriller featuring Eddie Redmayne as a skilled assassin being pursued by an intelligence officer. Alternatively, delve into the world of international espionage through the London CIA station with Paramount+’s “The Agency,” available via Showtime.
In “Black Doves,” rather than the usual festive atmosphere, the task of apprehending spies, some with romantic entanglements, creates a heightened sense of tension during Christmas. The abrupt demise of Helen’s secret lover (Andrew Koji) propels her and Sam on a quest to identify his murderer.
The desire for vengeance following a murder, leading them into a complex geopolitical conspiracy, undeniably puts a tremendous stress on Helen’s marriage with her husband, the rising government minister Wallace (Andrew Buchan). Over time, she has been betraying her husband by sharing his secrets with a clandestine organization she is part of. This makes it difficult for her to justify her whereabouts and actions when returning home to her family after a long day at work.
Barton shares that a letter he read in a newspaper advice column sparked his idea for a drama about the friendship and selflessness displayed by characters Helen and Sam. The letter was from a woman who learned, after her husband’s death, that he had been secretly married before, meaning their relationship had actually been an affair. This revelation left her grappling with her loss, as she couldn’t confide in anyone or openly mourn. Instead, she felt compelled to grieve privately, which Barton found both intriguing and deeply human.
Following the completion of the first episode of Black Doves during Christmas, Barton passed the project on to Knightley, a renowned figure in historical and contemporary romance films such as Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Love, Actually. Shortly after that, Barton and Knightley sat down for a meeting at a coffee shop in London to discuss the project. Now, she is taking on television roles, depicting an action and adventure character involved in gunfights, suspenseful scenes, and political machinations.
Barton highlights a recurring theme in Knightley’s film roles: her characters often possess two facets – a public image and secret desires. These personas yearn for something deeper, yet are compelled to compromise. He refers to this as the case with Elizabeth Bennett, Elizabeth Swan, and her character in Atonement. In essence, Knightley has portrayed women who society may expect one thing from, but their hearts desire something else – a struggle that often plays out internally within these characters.
The result with Helen is a woman playing a pretend wife, but who is also slightly a real wife, and she falls deeply in love with someone else who might not be real. And once Whishaw came on board, Barton had the making of a deep and platonic friendship on screen between Helen and Sam as they question their pasts and life choices while uncovering a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming global crisis.
Barton explained that Ben was selected due to his unique blend of sincerity and wit, as we believed this combination might result in a strong connection with Keira. Fortunately, their bond proved to be quite compatible.
As a dedicated gamer, I’m excited to share that the cast for Black Doves includes Sarah Lancashire, Luther Ford, Tracey Ullman, Kathryn Hunter, and Omari Douglas. This extraordinary lineup is overseen by executive producers like Barton, Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry, and Knightley, with Harry Munday at the helm as producer. The series is skillfully directed by none other than Alex Gabassi (The Crown) and Lisa Gunning (The Power).
Netflix, in advance of the show’s debut, has already commissioned a second season, and Barton is currently hard at work on it as another holiday season draws near.
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Black Doves is now streaming all six episodes of season one on Netflix.
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2024-12-06 22:25