When is The Innocents released on Netflix? Who’s in the cast, and what’s going to happen?
The supernatural British series could be one of the breakout hits on Netflix this August – find out more about the intriguing new drama
Teen drama meets unnerving sci-fi in Netflix's fascinating new British original TV series The Innocents.
The series follows Harry and June, two teenagers who run away together only for June to discover a remarkable and strange ability.
The series stars young British actors Sorcha Groundsell and Percelle Ascott, and is set to be released this August. Find out much more below.
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When is The Innocents released on Netflix?
The eight episode series will be released in full on Friday 24th August. With headline shows such as Stranger Things and The Crown both taking a break in 2018, is the way open for a new Netflix series to make its mark?
What is the series about?
Young teenage lovers Harry and June run away from their isolating families to be together. Their new-found freedom is exhilarating – until a mysterious encounter leads June to discover something remarkable and terrifying about herself.
As trailers and teasers make clear, this 'power' is the ability to shape-shift: to take on the forms of other people. However, this is not a happy discovery: these new powers are frightening and out of June's control. But there is someone who thinks they understand what's happening. Could they provide the cure?
"The combination of the supernatural with the love story I found utterly gripping, very moving," producer Elaine Pyke said of the script by writers Simon Duric and Hania Elkington, calling Netflix "the perfect home for this show".
The series is set both in the UK and Norway, with dramatic locations providing the backdrop to the story. Producer Pyke said that the location for the Norwegian scenes in particular were key: "We spent a lot of time in Norway trying to find this great place," she said. "It was a small island in a fjord, we waved to the farmer, he rowed us across, and I thought, 'This is where our show is going to be set'".
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Is there a trailer?
Yes, Netflix has been released a number of trailers and teasers in advance of the new series. The footage reveals a number of minor early spoilers, so if you want to come to the show entirely fresh then it may be worth skipping them.
However, the videos do give a good sense of the eerie, muted quality of the series, while introducing the central themes of the show.
Who's in the cast?
Young British star Sorcha Groundsell is June, the girl at the heart of the drama's mystery. Her boyfriend Harry is played by newcomer Percelle Ascott.
"We saw hundreds and hundreds of actors," Pyke said, explaining how the crew explores drama clubs and schools across Britain to find the right pair of actors. "Sorcha was the last but one girl that we saw out of something like 700 girls."
Guy Pearce meanwhile features as the enigmatic – and potentially crucial – Halvorson.
See the actors discuss their characters in the featurette below.
The series will be released on Friday 24th August on Netflix. Check back here for more updates about the show ahead of the new series.