Mark Strong (Kingsman) heads a cast including Carice van Houten, (Game of Thrones) and Daniel Mays (Line of Duty) in a new darkly comic thriller, Temple. The eight-part Sky original production set in the secret world beneath London is written by playwright Mark O’Rowe (Boy A), and will start production in September for Sky and NOW TV.
Deep below the streets of London, descending past Temple tube in the beating heart of the city, lies a dark secret. An illegal clinic has been set up in an abandoned subterranean network of tunnels.
Daniel played by Mark Strong, is a surgeon driven by personal tragedy to treat anyone who is willing to pay for medical help outside the system. Aided by Lee a disgruntled transport employee, played by Daniel Mays, and Anna a guilt-ridden medical researcher played by Carice van Houten, they treat a variety of increasingly desperate and highly dangerous patients, as Daniel’s morality is tested to the limit. Temple is a story of fate, chaos and consequence and asks how far you would go to save the person you love.
Heartfelt and darkly comic, the thriller is adapted by Mark O’Rowe from the critically acclaimed Norwegian drama series Valkyrien, Temple will be produced by Hera Pictures for Sky.
Mark Strong said: “Mark O’Rowe has created a complex and multi-faceted character in Daniel – a man pushed to the extreme as his world is radically destabilised. Temple is a gripping and humane morality tale for our time.”
Liza Marshall, head of Hera Pictures, said: “After the success of Riviera, I am thrilled to be working with Sky again on my first production for Hera. I think the audience will love the world of Temple and it’s darkly funny take on life.”
Gabriel Silver, Executive Producer for Sky, said: “When Hera Pictures delivered the scripts for Temple, we at Sky fell in love with its blackly comic streak and the morally compromised characters working in their own secret realm beneath London. I’ve been an ardent fan of Mark O’Rowe’s work from his adaptation of Boy A to Intermission, and having Mark, Carice and Daniel cast, I know that the audience will be treated to an unflinching, hilarious and very human story.”
Temple is produced by Hera Pictures. It is executive produced by Liza Marshall, Mark Strong and Mark O’Rowe for Hera Pictures and Gabriel Silver and Anne Mensah for Sky. Luke Snellin (Wanderlust) is the lead director with Shariff Korver (Fenix) and Lisa Siwe (Modus) following and Barney Reisz (Black Mirror) produces. Temple will be co-funded and distributed internationally by Sky Vision and will air on Sky One and streaming service NOW TV in the UK and Ireland during 2019.
