Anna Daniels
HBO is ready to get immersive with The Third Day, a new limited series starring Jude Law and Naomie Harris. The series tells several stand-alone (but also interconnected stories) over six episodes. Viewers will also be given the opportunity to get in on the action via “a major immersive theatre event”, although just what that entails is unclear.
Created by Dennis Kelly and Felix Barrett, The Third Day will premiere on HBO on May 11. The series unfolds in an unconventional way, with the first three episodes following a character played by Jude Law, and the next three focused on a character played by Naomie Harris:
Told over the first three episodes, “Summer” stars Jude Law (HBO’s “The New Pope”) as Sam, a man who is drawn to a mysterious Island off the British coast where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost. “Summer” is written by Dennis Kelly and directed by Marc Munden.
“Winter” unfolds over the latter three episodes and stars Naomie Harris (Academy Award nominee for “Moonlight”) as Helen, a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers, but whose arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate. “Winter” is written by Kit de Waal, Dean O’Loughlin and Dennis Kelly and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe.
Meanwhile, Deadline is reporting that the series involves some sort of “immersive live event” connected with the show:
Following “Summer”, viewers will get the chance to become part of The Third Day world at a major immersive theatre event. Created by Punchdrunk and directed by Felix Barrett, audiences will inhabit the story as it happens, live. Places will be limited, so audiences will also be able to follow the events online.
That’s a little vague, and the official HBO press release for the show has no mention of the live element at all. But Felix Barrett says: “To tell a story that spans TV and live action has been a long held ambition of mine. The Third Day will be both a TV show and a world you can enter, giving viewers the chance to live and breathe the narrative.”
And Cameron Roach, the Director of Drama at Sky Studios, added, “The Third Day is an imaginative and truly innovative series. The unique approach to storytelling is ground-breaking and we’re so proud to be able to share the compelling world created by Dennis and Felix with our audience and to invite them to truly experience the show in a game-changing way.”
In addition to Law and Harris, The Third Day features Katherine Waterston, Emily Watson, and Paddy Considine.
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