Michelle Keegan returns to Netflix’s ‘haunting’ Harlan Coben thriller | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

The cast of The Woods boasts some highly recognisable faces.

Netflix has unveiled the line-up for the eagerly awaited new Harlan Coben thriller, including a much-loved actress making her long-awaited comeback.

Tom Bateman, star of forthcoming rom-com The Love Hypothesis, will appear alongside Michelle Keegan, best known for Brassic and previous Coben adaptation Fool Me Once.

The pair join a stellar ensemble confirmed for The Woods, based on the American author’s 2020 novel of the same name. Manchester-based Quay Street Productions will once again be at the helm of the series.

Bateman and Keegan are joined by a remarkable cast that also includes comedian Tom Allen (Titanique), Mandeep Dhillon (After Life), James Buckley (The Inbetweeners), and Pearce Quigley (Small Prophets), reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/netflix-harlon-coben-michelle-keegan-37086666″>the Mirror</a>.

Coben said in a statement: “The Woods is a haunting and very personal story. It has everything you expect from us – twisty, turning, gasp-inducing – but at the core is a story of old love and yearning.

“Working with a cast led by Tom Bateman, Michelle Keegan, Mandeep Dhillon, Pearce Quigley, James Buckley, Tom Allen – it’s an embarrassment of riches.”

Written by Danny Brocklehurst, the forthcoming eight-part thriller opens with a mysterious disappearance 20 years ago that leaves a family shattered.

When fresh evidence emerges convincing barrister Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland (portrayed by Bateman) that his missing sister may still be alive, he launches a determined quest to uncover the truth.

A gripping official synopsis teases: “Twenty years ago, Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland’s sister Camille vanished from a summer camp in the woods, a loss that tore his family apart.

“Now a top barrister and devoted single father to ten-year-old daughter Cami, Cope appears to have rebuilt his life. But when the body of a man turns up – twenty years after he was supposedly murdered alongside Camille – Cope becomes convinced his sister may have made it out of the woods alive too.

“Determined to uncover the truth, Cope reunites with his first love, Lucy Silverfield (Keegan), and together they begin a search for answers, unearthing years of lies, cover-ups, and family secrets that threaten to destroy everything he has built.”

The supporting cast boasts Rade Sherbedgia (Slow Horses), Shannon Watson (The Jetty), Pamela Nomvete (Andor), Amelia Eve (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Kerry Howard (Witless), Roger Barclay (Industry), Simon Lowe (Kirkmoore), Dean Fagan (Time), Tracy Ann-Oberman (Run Away), Charlotte Beaumont (Broadchurch), and Christopher Harper (Call the Midwife).

The Woods is poised to become Netflix’s 14th series adapted from the bestselling catalogue of author Coben, following acclaimed hits such as Missing You, Gone For Good, and the forthcoming I Will Find You.

No official release date has yet been confirmed, though previous British adaptations of Coben’s beloved thrillers have typically made their debut in January.

The Woods will be released on Netflix.