White Dragon
Ambitious and timely conspiracy thriller White Dragon, written by Mark Denton and Jonny Stockwood, has been commissioned for ITV from Two Brothers Pictures, (The Missing, Fleabag, One of Us). The eight part series will be filmed during the autumn of 2017 on location in Asia.
Professor Jonah Mulray’s life is turned upside-down when his wife, Megan, is killed in a car-crash in Hong Kong. Although she lived and worked there half the year, Jonah’s never been. He lives a small, sheltered life, and his fear of flying has kept him in London. But now he has no choice but to cross the ocean to identify the body of the woman he loved.
Not long after arriving in Hong Kong, Jonah makes a shocking discovery about his wife. Over the course of eight thrilling hours, Jonah is drawn deeper and deeper into a web of conspiracy as he comes to terms with this utterly alien and unfamiliar environment, battling to uncover the truth about his wife’s death.
Commented Harry and Jack Williams: “We’re delighted to be bringing Mark and Jonny’s incredible debut series to life. Their writing is rich and intelligent and combines a narratively taut thriller with a characterful emotional journey that we hope will draw audiences in.”
Writers Mark Denton and Jonny Stockwood added: “We are thrilled to be working with Two Brothers and ITV on this exciting new drama – we hope it will keep audiences gripped.”
Trauma
Multi awarding winning playwright and dramatist Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster, The Town, Charles III) returns to ITV with his new project, Trauma.
Set in the Trauma department of a central London hospital, the three-part drama tells the story of 15 year old Alex Reynolds who sadly dies under the care of high-achieving trauma consultant Jon Stephens.
Devastated and heartbroken, Alex’s father, Dan, believes Jon is responsible for Alex’s death and as he strives for justice, he begins to unpick the very fabric of Jon’s life. Are Dan’s concerns about how Jon cared for his son in his hour of need justified or are his actions borne of overpowering grief? Trauma questions what makes a man good and explores the idea that sometimes the very institutions established to protect us can let us down.
“I feel hugely lucky to be writing a brand new series for ITV,” said Mike Bartlett. “Trauma is a story about two fathers with very different lives, locked in conflict. I hope the series will be moving, terrifying and timely…If we increasingly mistrust institutions and experts, what happens when we desperately need them?”
Trauma is produced by Tall Story Pictures, the newly created ITV Studios label founded by Creative Director Francis Hopkinson and Executive Producer Catherine Oldfield. Francis will executive produce the new series with Catherine, who has developed Trauma with Mike Bartlett, producing the drama. ITV Studios GE is responsible for international distribution.
“We are delighted to be launching Tall Story Pictures with Trauma,” said Catherine. “Not only is Trauma a rollercoaster of a story but Mike’s fantastic script goes deep into the heart of what it takes to be a good man in Britain today.”
Trauma will begin filming in early summer 2017 in the London area.