“White Lies,” a murder mystery series starring Natalie Dormer, has been acquired by Sundance Now for North America.
A collaboration between production company Quizzical Pictures and Pan-African broadcaster M-Net in partnership with Fremantle, “White Lies” is set in the wealthy Bishopscourt neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa. Dormer (“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels”) stars as an investigative journalist called Edie Hansen alongside Brendon Daniels (“Four Corners”), who plays detective Forty Bell.
“Following her estranged brother’s murder in his luxury home, Edie’s world plunges deeper into chaos when her brother’s teenage children become prime suspects for the crime,” reads the logline. “As Edie investigates, she finds herself at loggerheads with veteran detective Forty Bell, and grapples with the crumbling local police force, a corrupt political system and the secretive world of extreme Cape wealth.”
The eight-part series is written by Darrel Bristow-Bovey with John Trengove (“The Wound”) as lead director, alongside Catharine Cooke (Reyka) and Christiaan Olwagen (Poppie Nongena).
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Dormer also exec produces the eight-episode series.
U.S. and Canadian audiences will be able to watch the show exclusively on Sundance Now and AMC+.
“It’s fantastic to be bringing ‘White Lies’ to the U.S. with our formidable partners at Sundance Now,” said Shirley Bowers, SVP of U.S. distribution for Fremantle, who negotiated the deal. “It’s the ultimate modern-day murder-mystery, so cleverly written and features a hugely talented cast led by the brilliant Natalie Dormer. It’s packed with twists and turns that will no doubt leave Sundance’s viewers totally hooked.”
Shannon Cooper, VP for programming at Sundance Now added: “‘White Lies’ is a brilliantly written, edge-of-your-seat, murder-mystery brought to life by remarkable performances from both Natalie and Brendon, set against an incredible South African backdrop. Sundance Now subscribers are in for an absolute treat and we’re thankful to our partners at Fremantle, M-Net and Quizzical Pictures.”
Harriet Gavshon and Nimrod Geva produce for Quizzical Pictures, with Dormer and Bristow-Bovey also serving as executive producers. Julie Hodge executive produces on behalf of Fremantle.
Fremantle are internationally distributing the series, which also recently launched on STAN in Australia and M-Net in South Africa.
