Keeley Hawes Is Killer in the First Trailer for 'The Assassin'

Future Dame Keeley Hawes only just graced American television in May 2025 with her performance as Cassandra Austen in Masterpiece's Miss Austen. The production studio behind the period drama is working on creating a second season (which may or may not get picked up for production), but even if it doesn't, Hawes has already moved on to a new role that's about as far from Victorian England as one can imagine. Her next role is as the titular lead in The Assassin, about a woman who retires from a life of professional killing, only to have her son (Freddie Highmore) track her down.

The project reunited Hawes with the Williams Brothers, Jack and Harry, whom most PBS viewers will know from their two-season series Baptiste. Hawes starred in the series that preceded it, The Missing, which initially introduced Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo). Hawes starred opposite Karyo in Season 2, much in the same manner as Jessica Raine and Fiona Shaw did in Baptiste's two seasons.

The Williams' Two Brothers Pictures have been on a tear lately; the company's other U.S. hits over the last decade include Fleabag, The Tourist, and Boat Story. Notably, these are shows that manage to attract an audience despite being on Amazon's Prime Video, so we should expect the same for The Assassin once it has an American streaming home.

Here's the series synopsis:

Retired assassin Julie and her estranged son Edward reunite amidst high-stakes drama and thrilling action as they are forced to flee an idyllic Greek island when Julie’s dangerous past catches up with her. With questions around Edward’s paternity and Julie’s past life as a hitwoman, the pair go on the run across Europe, working together in a fight for survival.

Along the way, their dysfunctional relationship is tested to its limits. They uncover a dark conspiracy they believe to be their only threat, but a greater danger emerges that could destroy their relationship entirely.

Hawes and Highmore co-star alongside a mix of British, Australian, New Zealand, and American actors. The ensemble includes Shalom Brune-Franklin (Great Expectations), Richard Dormer (COBRA), Gina Gershon (Elementary), Jack Davenport (Ten Percent), Gerald Kyd (Unforgotten), Alan Dale (Torchwood), Devon Terrell (Cursed), and David Dencik (The Ipcress File).

The Williams led a writers' room that included Krissie Ducker, Hamish Wright, and Selina Lim. Directors Lisa Mulcahy and Daniel Nettheim split the helming duties across the show's six episodes, with Nige Watson serving as producer. The Williams Brothers, Ducker, Wright, Hawes, and Highmore executive produce alongside Sarah Hammond, Daisy Mount & Alex Mercer for Two Brothers. The Assassin is a Prime Video acquisition in the UK. Germany’s ZDF and Stan in Australia have also picked up the show. Whether or not Amazon will stream the series on Prime Video in the U.S. remains to be seen. Thus far, it does not have an official American distributor.

The Assassin premieres in the U.K. on Amazon's Prime Video with all episodes on Friday, July 25, 2025.