Huge names have been announced after film crews filled Lark Lane earlier this monthScarlett Fricker, Lauren Del Fabbro and Ben Haslam Senior reporter
20:01, 15 Jul 2026
Filming on Lark Lane earlier this month(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
A “gripping” TV drama that took over Lark Lane has announced two major names will star in the show. Lark Lane was taken over on Wednesday, July 1, as Army of Shadows was filmed in the city.
ECHO photographers captured dramatic scenes being filmed on the famous L17 road as armed officers emerged from a blacked out van outside the Old Police Station. The show is inspired by Joseph Kessel’s seminal book of the same name, which is a fictionalised account of the French resistance during World War II.
The six part series has been adapted by Ronan Bennett, who is renowned for his role as a showrunner on Top Boy, Mobland and Day of the Jackal. The French World War II setting has been changed for the upcoming show, which will take place in an authoritarian version of the UK in the near future.
Rivals star Alex Hassell and Game Of Thrones actor Kit Harington have now been named among the cast of the adaptation. It will also star House Of The Dragon’s Paddy Considine and Barbie and Ugly Betty actress America Ferrera.
Gwawr Lloyd, interim head of drama at Channel 4, said: “Ronan Bennett has created a gripping, provocative and action-packed drama that feels both epic in scale and strikingly relevant.
Kit Harrington is known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Industry(Image: PA)
“Army Of Shadows asks powerful questions about freedom, resistance and the choices people make when democracy is under threat.”
Directed by Lisa Gunning, the series will be developed and produced with the support of the Melville family and the Kessel estate, which is controlled by the Irish Red Cross.
The series is co-produced by Studiocanal and Two Cities Television, with filming already under way in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Paris.
Anna Marsh, chief executive at Studiocanal, said: “We are incredibly proud to have developed this series from inception, attaching an extraordinary cast and creative team to bring Army Of Shadows into production today.”
The upcoming show is not the first time Army of Shadows has been adapted as celebrated French filmmaker, Jean-Pierre Melville, released a film version in 1969 to great success.
With filming taking over Liverpool earlier this month, now would be ideal time to revisit the 1969 film, which is widely regarded as a masterpiece.
Alex Hassell(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The film boasts a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as the synopsis is describes: “This adaptation of the book by Joseph Kessel paints an understated, unglamorous portrait of the French Resistance during World War II.
“Betrayed by an informant, Philippe Gerbier finds himself trapped in a torturous Nazi prison camp.
Though Gerbier escapes to rejoin the Resistance in occupied Marseilles, France, and exacts his revenge on the informant, he must continue a quiet, seemingly endless battle against the Nazis in an atmosphere of tension, paranoia and distrust.”
The film is available to watch on StudioCanal Presents subscription service, which is also accessible via Amazon Prime.
Critics on RottenTomatoes have praised the film from the French auteur, who is also renowned for films such as Le Samouraï and Le Cercle Rouge, as a classic.
In a glowing review, Slant Magazine said: “Jean-Pierre Melville cherishes paradox and free thinking, and both elements are on beautiful display in his masterpiece.”
In his five star review for the Financial Times, Danny Leigh branded the film as a blend of noir and wartime drama. He said: “Watch it a hundred times and the dread, bad-dream opening sequence of Nazi troops swarming through the Arc de Triomphe might still leave you reeling.”
The Guardian also gave the film a five star review as Andrew Pulver said: “A work of moving ideological commitment as well as beautifully detailed orchestration.”
In a five star review for the BBC, Tom Dawson said: “Melville handles with consummate cinematic mastery the suspenseful set-pieces.”