Warp Films readies jewel heist drama with Samantha Morton, Tahar Rahim

Sky Atlantic and Canal+ have commissioned six-part crime drama series The Last Panthers, starring Samantha Morton, Tahar Rahmin and John Hurt.

The series, based around real-life jewel thieves the Pink Panthers, will be developed and co-produced by Haut et Court TV (The Returned) and Warp Films (This is England, Four Lions).

The Last Panthers originated as an idea from French journalist Jerome Pierrat and the screenplay has been written by Jack Thorne, whose film and TV credits include Skins, This is England, A Long Way Down, Glue and The Fades.

The series will be directed by Johan Renck (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead).

Filming will start on 27th October with the four key shooting locations in London, Marseille, Belgrade and Montenegro.

Worldwide distribution is being handled by StudioCanal-owned Tandem and BSkyB’s international division, Sky Vision.

The series will open with a diamond heist before delving into the world of European gangsters and ‘banksters’.

A cast is led by Samantha Morton (Minority Report, Control) as a British loss adjustor charged with recovering the stolen diamonds, under orders from her nefarious boss, played by veteran actor John Hurt.

Also in pursuit is a French-Algerian policeman, Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Past).

The series will be made in English, French and Serbian, and will be produced by Warp Films’ Peter Carlton and Haut et Court TV’s Caroline Benjo and Jimmy Desmarais.

It will air on Sky Atlantic in the UK, Ireland and Germany, and on Canal+ in France, in 2015.