Harry and Jack Williams’ latest, The Assassin, had to battle production delays and soaring Greek temperatures to hit its target. Jon Creamer reports
Set on a remote and idyllic Greek Island, The Assassin stars Keeley Hawes as retired killer for hire, Julie, who’s been living for the past decade as a virtual hermit in a small peaceful village. When her estranged son Edward, played by Freddie Highmore, comes for a visit, Julie gets pulled back in for one last job and finds that her past catches up with her in the most violent way.
For Harry and Jack Williams, the writers of the series and co-founders of Two Brothers Pictures, the show has taken quite some time to come to fruition. The pilot itself was written after production wrapped on the brothers’ Jamie Dornan-starrer, The Tourist. Amazon gave the thumbs up to the show but then Boat Story, both written and directed by the Williams brothers for the BBC, went into production absorbing much of their attention.
“More than any show we’ve ever had, this one looked like it wasn’t going to happen the most,” says Jack Williams. The location for The Assassin shifted from Australia to Greece, Australia again and finally back to Greece “so there was lots of back and forth – logistical, boring things,” says Harry and “it’s an expensive, complicated show, so it took a while,” says Jack.
A window for the shoot opened with Freddie Highmore’s first hiatus from The Good Doctor but then other pieces in the jigsaw moved. Star Keeley Hawes “took some persuasion,” says Jack. “We were chasing her quite hard.” He notes: “casting is hell. There are so many variables you can’t control.”
Jon Creamer
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