The First Images for 'Black Doves' Look Spectacular

Created and written by The Lazarus Project's Joe Barton, Black Doves was initially announced in April 2023 with Keira Knightley attached as lead. However, it wasn't until Netflix was getting ready to release the final episodes of The Crown in November 2023 that filming commenced and the cast revealed, with Ben Whishaw (This Is Going To Hunt) as the main co-star. With filming commencing in London at the end of the year, it wasn't clear when audiences could expect the series to arrive. 

It turned out the wait wasn't long, as Netflix's February 2024 "Next on Netflix" announcement laid out its most significant titles for the coming year, including the first footage from the Black Doves series. Not only did viewers get their first look at the spy thriller, which looks spectacular, along with the release of the first images, but Netflix assured viewers it was part of the 2024 lineup. 

While the show's details are still somewhat under wraps, one of the details about the show that was released in the full synopsis when filming commenced was that Black Doves is set at Christmastime in the U.K. That suggests that the streaming service is probably planning to hold it until the end of the year and likely release it as part of the holiday releases between November and December to make the story as timely as possible. That also would put the high-profile series, with an award-winning cast, in the pole position for awards season.

Here's the series synopsis:

Helen Webb, politician’s wife, doting mother, and professional spy, has been passing on her husband’s secrets to the Black Doves, the shadowy organization for whom she works. But when her lover Jason is assassinated, Helen’s life is turned upside down, and only her old friend Sam Young can keep her safe. But Sam, a suave, champagne-drinking assassin, also has problems of his own. Out of the game, since his last job went wrong, he soon realizes his past is coming back to haunt him. Together, they set off on a mission that will lead them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy. One that links the murky underworld of London to a looming geopolitical crisis — and leads them to question the cost of the moral choices they’ve made.

Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) will co-star alongside Andrew Buchan (This England), Omari Douglas (It’s A Sin), Andrew Koji (Warrior), Kathryn Hunter (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Sam Troughton (Litvinenko), Ella Lily Hyland (A Thousand Blows), Adam Silver (The Diplomat), Ken Nwosu (The Winter King), and Gabrielle Creevy (Operation Mincemeat).

Barton wrote all six episodes of Black Doves, with directors Alex Gabassi (The ABC Murders) and Lisa Gunning (The Power) splitting helming duties. The series is produced by Joe Barton’s Noisy Bear and Elizabeth Murdoch-founded Sister for Netflix. Barton and Knightley are executive producers alongside Jane Featherstone and Chris Fry for Sister and Harry Munday producing.

Black Doves will debut on Netflix in late 2024.