The Walking Dead star Lennie James has portrayed no shortage of iconic roles throughout his career. Recently, he became a bit of an action star thanks to his portrayal of John Greenway in IO Interactive's 007 First Light. Moreover, he took over the small screen as Frank Moses in Mayor of Kingstown and is set to come back for the show's fifth and final season.
But perhaps one of James' most iconic TV roles has been the ruthless (and then pacifist) Morgan Jones in The Walking Dead. He joined the beloved AMC show from the very first episode before becoming a recurring character and eventually went on to star in Fear the Walking Dead. Now, James is ready to move on to his next big (and dark) project.
Lennie James lands the leading role in ITV's Nightswimming
As reported by Deadline, James has been cast as the lead in the ITV thriller Nightswimming. He will portray the role of Matthew, a man who returns to his home in Portugal a long time after he was accused and convicted of murdering his entire family in a single night.
Nightswimming will shift between the past and the present. In the modern day, Matthew will lead his own investigation into the tragedy that unfolded all those years ago. He'll interrogate suspects, talk to old friends, and come face-to-face with the people who led the case against him in the first place. In the past, audiences would see the events that unraveled leading up to the murders.
Matthew's wife and two sons were attacked in their own beachfront home while Matthew was out for his usual night swim in the ocean (hence the name of the show). So now the question becomes: who was the perpetrator, and why did they want the family gone?
Speaking about his upcoming role, James revealed that he's excited to play a character filled with "complexity" and "contradiction":
"I am very excited about getting going on Nightswimming. It's a juicy, grown-up thriller about family, love, loss, betrayal, redemption, and the price of justice. Matthew is the kind of character I love to play, full of complexity, contradiction, and conviction. This is top-notch storytelling, and I'm chuffed to be a part of it."
Nightswimming is created by the Williams brothers, Jack and Harry, who are the founders of Two Brothers Pictures — a UK production company that has made series like Fleabag, The Widow, The Missing, and more.
The Williams brothers also expressed their excitement about having James on board for Nightswimming:
"We absolutely relished writing Nightswimming, it's a small-town thriller with a morally murky edge, grounded in a knotty, complex character. We can't wait to work with ITV again and to see what Lennie — who we are thrilled to have on board — does with Matthew when we begin filming in Portugal next year."
Nightswimming doesn't have a release date just yet, but with principal photography slated to begin next year, the earliest the show could hit the small screen would be late 2027 (although 2028 seems like a more likely bet). But even if the series is still a long way off, it will be nice to see James portraying yet another complex character who seems to have a lot of contradictions within him.
Stay tuned for more news about the upcoming thriller starring one of The Walking Dead's fan-favorite cast members.
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