Keeley Hawes' Next Role Is the Titular 'The Assassin'

It's been about six months since Amazon's Prime Video revealed it was greenlighting The Assassin from the production company run by the writing-directing team of brothers Harry and Jack Williams. The Williams have become a prolific outfit in recent years after the slow rollout of their two seasons of The Missing and the follow-up Baptiste. But in the last few years alone, the pair have released two seasons of The Tourist, Dinosaur, which is already commissioned for Season 2, and Boat Story. Now, only a day or so after Channel 4 announced it would produce the company's next series, Maya, the first images from their other new show, The Assassin, have arrived.

The series stars Keeley Hawes in a role that is a bit of a departure from her usual PBS-friendly fare; she plays Julie, the series' titular killer, who is technically retired and hiding out on the Greecian Islands. (We assume she must have seen a TV show set in Corfu.) The first images include one with her in the traditional sniper pose, looking 180 degrees from the period outfits she's been sporting in Miss Austen. The series begins when Julie's seclusion is disturbed when her estranged son Edward (Freddie Highmore) turns up on her doorstep, demanding an explanation and maybe a relationship with his bio-mom.

Of course, if one person can find her, that means anyone can, and now Julie has multiple problems to solve, including forging a relationship with her son, at least enough of one that he'll trust her when she tells him being anywhere near her puts both of them in danger.

The show’s synopsis reads: 

Secluded on a remote Greek island, retired assassin Julie has a somewhat thorny reunion with her estranged son, Edward, visiting from England. Armed with questions about new information on his paternity, Edward battles to find the right time to speak to his frustratingly distant mother. But when the moment finally presents itself, things take a deadly turn as Julie’s dangerous past catches up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run together. Edward’s quest for truth clashes with Julie’s secrecy while they are forced to work together in a fight for survival, testing their dysfunctional relationship to its limits. Amid uncovering a dark conspiracy they believe to be their only threat, a greater danger emerges that will destroy their relationship entirely. In a race against time, Julie fights to save Edward and salvage their relationship as past and present collide in a global showdown. 

Hawes and Highmore co-star alongside Shalom Brune-Franklin (Great Expectations), Jack Davenport (Ten Percent), Alan Dale (Torchwood), Gerald Kyd (Unforgotten), Devon Terrell (Totally Completely Fine), Richard Dormer (Blue Lights), David Dencik (The Ipcress File), and Gina Gershon (Elementary).

Harry and Jack Williams penned all episodes of The Assassin, with directors Lisa Mulcahy (Years & Years) and Daniel Nettheim (The Tourist) splitting helming duties. Hawes and Highmore executive produce along with The Williams Brothers for their company, Two Brothers Pictures, in association with Germany’s ZDF, All3Media International, and Stan in Australia. 

The Assassin is expected to debut on Amazon's Prime Video globally in 2025.