Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones), Russell Tovey (Years and Years) and Emily Mortimer (Paddington in Peru) have joined the cast of Disney+ four-part U.K. drama Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
Written and executive produced by Jeff Pope (Philomena, Stan and Ollie), the series is produced by Etta Pictures, Pope’s production label, which is part of ITV Studios, in association with Kwadjo Dajan’s KDJ Productions. Jean Charles de Menezes’ parents and other relatives are serving as consultants for the series.
The show focuses on the events surrounding the tragic killing of innocent Brazilian de Menezes after he was mistaken for a terrorist by London police in 2005. Told from multiple perspectives of those involved, it examines how memory — both accurate and distorted — can be turned into fact and shape our understanding of the truth.
Newcomer Edison Alcaide plays Jean Charles de Menezes. Hill is Sir Ian Blair, the then-Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Russell Tovey plays one of Blair’s deputy assistant commissioners, Brian Paddick, alongside Max Beesley portraying assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, leading on the Met’s investigation into the bombings.
Mortimer portrays Cressida Dick, then Gold Commander of the surveillance operation pursuing those presumed responsible for the bombings. Daniel Mays (Line of Duty, Des) plays Cliff Todd, principal forensic investigator in the aftermath of the events of 7/7.
Pope said: “This is an incredibly important story to tell, and we’ve got a heavyweight ensemble cast in place that will help us examine the events that led to the tragic shooting of the innocent Jean Charles de Menezes.”
“He was just a commuter who was tracked for nearly an hour with surveillance failing to correctly identify him, before he was shot dead on a crowded tube train, leaving his family to try and shine a light on the critical errors that led to this devastating tragedy.”
The series will premiere on Disney+ in the spring.